Blood and Roses: Unknown Past
by TJ Wilkins
Summary: Marie Claire moves to a small city in the where she makes new friends, meets a guy and finds out she is a descendant of the first witch. Soon she is thrust into the supernatural world with a threat lurking around every corner. Will she accept her fate?
1. Chapter 1

_**~Chapter 1~**_

"Can't I just stay home one more day mom?" I was starting my new school today and honestly, who wants to go to a new school, in a new state, where I don't know anyone?

Let alone the fact that I was halfway through my junior year and was really excited about my senior year with all my friends back home.

"Honey, you have to go. We can't allow you to miss anymore school. You know that. The more you miss the longer and harder it's going to be for you to get caught up. Now go grab your school bad and I'll drive you. I don't want you to get lost on your way to school."

My adoptive-mother is always so over-protective. If she could have put me in a bubble she would have.

She had started to get up from the table when my step-dad came in the room.

"Hi sweety. How are my loves this beautiful January morning?" Nick was always cheerful.

We moved to the rinky dink town of Ridgeway, Idaho from Phoenix, Arizona because he got a big promotion from his company. Not really sure what it is that he does, but I know that mom has been very happy being able to stay home. She had one of those horrible factory type jobs where she was always at work and never at home.

"Good morning sunshine." was mom's greeting every morning. "Breakfast is on the stove. Nothing big today, just eggs Benedict and sausage. I was just getting ready to take Marie to school, so-"

"Mom that really isn't necessary. I can drive to school. This town is so small that I couldn't really get lost. Not after living in Phoenix." At this point I was kinda pleading with her, knowing that if she got started, I would never get to drive myself.

"Marie, you have never driven snow before and you might have an accident. I just don't know what..." when mom got started, she never stopped. Thank God for Nick.

"Jennifer, calm down. I think Marie will be just fine. We have to let her go sometime. You know we can't possibly drive her every day for the next year. Besides, what do you think is going to happen when you have an early meeting or have to go out of town for some business. You know your business can't afford for you to take time off." Nick: the voice of reason.

I could see it in my mother's eyes that he was slowly getting to her and then very soon she would give in. My mother looked at me one last time, then signed. YES! We won the fight.

"Well, I guess when you put it that way Nick. Fine, go. Just promise me you will be careful and that-" the house phone ringing cut her off in mid-sentence. "I'll be right back." She walked into the living room and I knew this would be my only chance of getting out today.

With a quick thank-you glance at Nick, I grabbed my bag and jacket and ran to my car.

My car was an older car, born before me. It was a 1980 Toyota Corolla; at least that's what I was told. When I got it had faded red paint on it but Nick was nice enough to pay for a cheap paint job, but it was still no where near looking like new.

I was a little disappointed with the way things had gone when my mom said she was getting me a car. I guess I should have seen it coming since I am kind of a klutz. But I was still hopeful.

I turned as I shut the door to seek a way out of going to school that I had yet missed. It was a small kind of house, barely considered a two story in Phoenix but it was cute. The exterior was painting a cream white and it had very pretty shutters with a pealed sky blue paint. I knew mom's first project when it got warmer was to paint the house. She was always so big on them.

As I walked out of our small two story house, I felt a sick feeling again. I have had this feeling since we drove out of Arizona and again when we drove across state lines into Idaho. I think this time it was worse.

I quickly ran to the car looking out for ice patches where I could and I even had to grab the door handle when I got there because there was a small patch right at the car. Of course!

I jumped into the car and put my key in the ignition, praying for the heater to work. Since I lived in Phoenix, we never had a need for the heater and I had yet to test it. But I always heard that they took forever getting warm.

After waiting about three or four minutes I decided I should be on my way. I put the car into drive and drove away from the house and down the street. It was a very quiet neighborhood that we moved to. Nothing at all like something you would see in any part of Phoenix, except those old, decrepit neighborhoods where the youngest person just qualified for social security and retirement.

As I got to the edge of town I was a little mystified by the amount of people out. There were about ten cars on the road and only four people on the sidewalks. One couple looked to be in their golden years and two others. There was a balding, middle aged man opening his small mom and pop pharmacy and a younger girl walking alone.

I assumed she was walking to school anyway. She looked too young to have graduated, but she carried no bags or anything. She was kind of plain looking with shoulder length black hair and a slender body. She looked kind of short, nothing out of the ordinary. I guess you could call her mundane.

I drove through the quiet streets of what would be called downtown in a larger city. There were only three main streets with side streets too, leaving only those three traffic lights, so I am a bit hesitant calling in downtown. I pulled into the school parking lot and was a bit amazed that this is what they call a school.

My high school back in Phoenix had a few thousand students so this school took me by surprise that it was so small. This town had only about four or five thousand people in it, so there would only be about five hundred people in this whole school. Much smaller than even a freshman class in my old high school.

I pulled into Ridgeway High School and took a deep breathe. I followed the short line of cars into the next available parking spot and donned my jacket out into the cold. There would be no more walking outdoors between classes, it was far too cold for me to do that.

I got out of my car and in my haste to rush to class, almost ran into a girl. She had very pretty blonde hair that was long and almost to her waist. She also had the most remarkable skin that was completely flawless as far as I could tell with striking blue eyes. If she were a bit taller I would say she could have been the next big thing on the runway.

"Oh. Are you ok?" I asked feebly as I tried to steady us both.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you ok? You looked like you were in a hurry."

"I would be better if I could get out of this cold weather." I answered with a smile.

"Where are you going?" she asked as we started to walk toward the school.

"Well I guess I should go to the front office to check in and get my schedule."

"I can walk you there. It isn't too far from my first class. By the way, my name is Rachel Jackson. It sounds like Rachael but my parents had a thing for rocks I guess, so it should be spelled Rockel." I could tell that she was the type of person who could continue talking with little to do on my part.

"My name is Marie Claire."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Marie. Where did you move from?"

"We lived in Phoenix." We continued talking all the way to the main office in the center of the school. The school was much smaller than mine back home, but at least it would be easier to learn.

"And here is the main office..." she said as she opened the big wooden door the small glass windows. "...maybe we'll have some classes together." She smiled as she turned to walk away"

"Thank you for your help Rachael. It was nice to meet you." I hollered at her back. She never turned around.

As I turned to walk the rest of the way into the office, I saw that it was quite warm in here. Much warmer than it was outside at least. I started unzipping my parka as I walked to the main desk.

An older woman in her mid thirties was sitting there at the desk. She had short brown hair styled into a bob and was modest on her make-up. She had a stocky build but I could tell that she was a bit on the short side, even sitting down. Her name plate read: _Ms. Stella Stevens, Secretary_.

She offered me a big smile as she finished up her phone call. "I will tell Principal Marks that you called Mrs. Fishman. He should be done with the meeting around noon." She paused while Mrs. Fishman said something. "Ok. You have a wonderful day. Bye now."

I could tell just by listening to her talk on the phone that this woman was a very friendly and optimistic woman. She had an aurora about her that invited people in and then gave them what they wanted. She beamed at me, a beautiful smile with perfect white teeth.

"Hello. How can I help you today?"

"Hi, my name is Marie Claire. I'm a new student." All of a sudden I felt like I had a frog in my throat. The words were barely coming out as a whisper. She still heard me though and I knew it because I saw her face as she recognized my name.

"Oh, hi Miss Claire. It is so nice to meet you. I have your papers right here." She started fumbling around the desk in search of the right papers. Her desk was loaded with papers that had the school's logo on it, bluebird, and the state's bird. Great, I am a fighting bluebird.

I looked up to see her pulling out a folder from a short stack of papers. She turned back to me and gave me a folder. "Now, in this packet is a map of the school with your classrooms already marked for you. I also marked the location of your locker, which is locker 326. Your class schedule for this quarter is in there along with an attendance paper. This is only a one time thing and you need to have all of your teachers sign the paper. Do you have any questions?"

I was a little stunned with all of this new information and so stammered "I...I'm ok."

She looked at me like she was going to say something but then the phone rang. I took the opportunity to leave so she wouldn't ask me any questions. I was good at slipping out when adults were distracted.

I quickly turned to the door and walked out into the throng of traffic. I heard the last warning bell ring in the halls and the students took off to their classrooms so they wouldn't be tardy. I took my time.

I turned and looked at the map to find my locker. I turned left from the office and took the next right. The halls were the same as any old hallway. Posters for Valentine's Day which was two weeks away and then posters for the dance two days later. There were also posters asking students to attend the Black History Month seminar on the first of February.

I turned down the last hall on my left. As I came around the corner and into the hall I quickly stepped back. I quietly peered back around the corner. There was the weird girl from the sidewalk standing at her locker. She looked like she was trying to crawl into her locker she was leaning so far in.

I started to squint, a natural reaction when you are trying to zone in on something farther away, to see what she was doing. Just then, it felt like the whole hallway got warmer and it felt like there was a breeze.

It was a warm breeze, weird because it was so cold outside. I started wondering what was going on, when she turned to look right into my eyes. It was like she heard my thoughts and knew I was standing there. I knew what my face would show if I had looked into a mirror. It would be confused and questioning.

She started to take a step toward me and I took off into the opposite direction. I would go to my locker later.

I looked at the map to quickly find my first class just in case she came looking for me. I turned down the second hall on the left and went to room 13.

I walked in and the teacher gave me a reproachful look for interrupting his class. "Hi, sorry I'm late. I had a little bit of trouble finding the room. My name is Marie Claire." I tried to whisper low enough that no one but the teacher would hear me.

"Hi Marie. I'm Mr. Stupak and this is Math 116, Algebra 2." He gave me what I'm sure he thought was a friendly smile.

Ready to just get to my seat I asked "I need to have my slipped signed."

"Oh, of course. Just come back at the end of class and I'll sign it for you. Grab a book from the back of the classroom on the shelf and find a seat. We are on page 132." He turned back to the blackboard so I knew he was done talking to me.

I walked around the desks to the back of the class and grabbed a book. I found the nearest seat and sat down, grateful that it was in the last row of the class. People were still looking at me as I sat down and opened my book.

The guy sitting next to me turned to look at me. He leaned across the aisle and stuck out his hand. "Hi, my name is Adam Roland."

He was by far one of the cutest guys I had ever seen. He had dark honey colored hair with hints of what looked like gold. His eyes were a beautiful sky blue. His face was an oval shape with long honey eyebrows and long lashes. He could have been a male model. He skin tone was slightly tanned but natural looking.

He was small by normal means, but a solid looking body. I sat there mesmerized by his face, until it got a strange look of discomfort. That was when I realized that I had continued to stare at his, ignoring his outstretched hand.

He was just about to take back his hand when I jerked mine out to meet his.

As soon as my hand touched his it was as if someone had shocked my whole body and it froze in place. All I could see what Adam and nothing else. It was as if the world just disappeared below me.

We sat like that for who knows how long before someone poked me from my right. Mr. Stupak had stopped talking and someone was standing in the doorway talking to him.

I looked back at Adam and he had a look of astonish on his face. It was like the same thing that had happened to me had happened to him. I pulled my hand out of his and tried to form a coherent thought.

"My name is Marie." Then I realized that I hadn't given him my last name. "Claire." I added it as an afterthought.

"That was..." He was as confused as I was while he whispered.

"Yes, I agree" I whispered back.

"Mr. Roland, the front office would like to see you. Go ahead and take your books, you won't be back before the end of class. Don't forget; study guide due and exam on Friday.

Adam got up from his desk, grabbed his books and walked away without a backward glance.

After that, I just kind of drifted through the rest of my morning, getting my paper signed and half listening to class. No one called on me, since it was my first day. Even though I could have answered most of the questions, it was like this school was a little bit farther back in the curriculum than my school in Phoenix.

At last it was lunch time and I walked hesitantly into the cafeteria. Normally I would have taken lunch outside and sat with the few friend I had back home, but as I looked out through the cafeteria windows into the courtyard I saw it was snowing. Great. There went my day.

I walked through the line, not really hungry after my eventful morning when Rachael came up behind me.  
"Hey Marie. How would you like to come and sit with me and my table?  
"Sure, lead the way." I didn't call her by name because I honestly couldn't remember it.

I walked behind her to the table where there were three other girls sitting and two guys. The closest girl to me was a red-head with piercing green eyes and a very soft complexion. I imagined she didn't go out much. I could also tell that she was very girlie, her every action and even her clothes screamed it. She was dressed too primly for this small school. The girl next to her could have passed for her twin, except she was younger and not as preppy looking.

Next to the younger looking girl was a nice looking guy. He had the deepest black hair I had ever seen and a soft bronze color skin. I assumed he had some kind of Native American Indian in his background, just by looking at him. The other guy was a semi-nerdy, tall and lanky guy. He had brown hair and plain brown eyes.

The last girl was sitting between the two guys and she was plain looking but very pretty. She had a subtle look about her with her ash colored hair and amazing blue eyes. Her looks where the type that grew on you. At first she looked just plain, but as I stared at her, her beauty grew on me and I would have thought that she was more attractive than even the first girl. But she still reminded me of someone...

"Guys, this is Marie Claire." I hadn't met any of these people yet so Rachael introduced me. She turned and looked at the first girl, the red-head. "This is Stephanie Whitaker and her younger sister Melissa. The guy next to Melissa is Jared Cerdero and then is Amanda Roland..." I missed the last guy's name because I realized why she looked familiar. She was Adam Roland's relation. I would guess his sister since they looked so much alike.

They sat looking at me so I said the only thing that came to mind. "Hi." I smiled weakly and sat down next to the boy whose name I didn't know, with Rachael on my left.

They all started talking again, apparently picking up on conversations that I wasn't here yet to here.

"...and then he told me that this weekend we would go see a new movie coming out." Stephanie gushed to Rachael.

"What movie is it?" Rachael asked.

"Honestly who cares. He asked me out and it's so close to Valentine's Day. I think he is going to ask me to go to the Valentine's Day Dance."

"I am so happy for you."

I turned around to Amanda just in time to see her role her eyes and I wondered what that was about.

I looked to my right and looked at the boy I didn't know. He was just sitting there quietly, so I thought I would try to get to know him. He looked like a nice enough guy.

"Hi." I wasn't sure what else to say.

"Hi. So, how has your day been so far?" He asked.

"It has been interesting." I didn't think he wanted to hear about my bizarre morning. "But I think that most of it has just been because it's a new school and all."

"Where are you from anyway?" He asked.

"We just moved from Phoenix."

"Oh, so this must be really different. I have never been out of the state, but I can imagine the difference it must be to be here." Even though he was a little different, he seemed to be a very nice guy.

"I'm sorry. Please don't think I am being rude. But could you please tell me your name again."

"Of course. It's ok. I can just imagine the amount of information overflow. My name is Chase Thomas."

"Well, hi again Chase."

He smiled a huge smile that said he was extremely grateful for the attention he was getting. It made me wonder if he really ever got any attention.

"So, what class do you have next?" Chase asked.

"Um, let me look at my schedule." I pulled my schedule out of my bag and looked at it. "Let's see. I have Chemistry with Mrs. Hartwell."

"Awesome. Me too. I can walk with you if you want."

He seemed a little too willing to help, but I assumed it was because he was just lonely.

"Sure." I tried not to put too much enthusiasm into my reply, I didn't want to give him any ideas.

The bell rang just as I was done talking to Chase and so we all got up. Rachael had heard the last of our conversation and said "I guess I will see you later. I have chemistry next period. By the way, did you get a locker?"

"Yeah, why?" That question was out of nowhere.

"Well, I just saw that you had your jacket and I wondered if you had one or not. You don't have to carry it around with you, you know." She gave me a silly smile that said _Duh_.

"Well, I went to go to my locker but I got a little deterred." I didn't want to tell everyone here and have them all think I was crazy.

She looked like she was going to question me further, but I had to get the subject changed. "So does it snow a lot here?"

"Yeah, we are kinda high up in the mountains. And the farther north you go it gets worse. By the way, I never asked. Where did you move from?"

"Phoenix."

"I love Phoenix."

I had finally found someone who could understand and appreciate my love for Phoenix and my desire to not be here in this tiny town.

"Oh, when did you go to Phoenix?"

"Well, I have never been there. But I've seen it in pictures. Not the same huh?"

"Not exactly. You really have to see if first hand to appreciate the scenery and the feel of the atmosphere around you." I suddenly felt foolish and as they were staring at me because of my passionate speech about my hometown.

"Well, I should really head to my locker to I'm not late for class. I'll see you later." I walked away too quickly for anyone to make another comment about my locker.

The rest of the day followed in the same fashion, class after class and more students. I saw a few repeating faces, but no names came to them.

I walked into my last class, English and saw the weird girl again. I guessed it would be better that we met up again in here, so she couldn't say anything about what I had seen this morning. I talked to my teacher, a very young and gorgeous teacher, Miss Mowery.

She was tall and slender with cascading brown hair that had a sheen to it. I could easily say that she was the most beautiful teacher I had ever seen, male or female.

I was sure that she was the envy of every woman in town, as beautiful as she was. Even though she was a beauty beyond compare, I got the feeling that she was modest and a kind woman. She smiled frequently and her eyes shone with every smile.

She pointed me to a desk and it was the next aisle over from the strange girl. Of course!

I quickly took my seat, hoping that she would be the lecture soon so that this girl couldn't talk to me.

No such luck.

I looked out of the corner of my eye and there she was, looking straight at me. Not even trying to pretend that she wasn't, like I was doing.

I started to say hi to her, but then her attention was diverted to someone else in the room, a group of guys talking near the front of the room. They were whispering softly, but it was almost like someone called her name. Then she just looked down at her desk, where she was drawing something.

I tried to peak, nonchalantly of course, but I couldn't make it out. It could have passed as some kind of flower, but none I was familiar with and I loved flowers. Mom used to joke that it was unnatural how much I loved them. I had always loved nature; just no where near as much as my love for flowers.

I actually got a job, and I use that term loosely since I wasn't paid, at a local nursery in Phoenix. I just loved being there so much and the owner was an older man who couldn't afford to pay me. But I was ok with that.

"Hey Marie." She surprised me from the right; I didn't even know someone had sat down.

"Hey." I was surprised to see her, although I couldn't remember her name.  
But I did know that her brother was Adam. "Sorry, but I really don't remember your name. I'm not very good with names, but better with faces." I gave her a timid smile, hoping she wouldn't feel put out and think I was rude.

"It's ok. I am used to people not remembering my name, they generally remember my brother. So, as a rule I am just called 'Adam's sister.'"

"Oh, you have a brother?" I didn't want to sound like I was obsessed with him and that I hadn't already figured that one out. It would be way obvious to anyone with half a brain.

"Yeah, his name is Adam Roland. Ok, that was really dumb. You already knew my last name was Roland and I just said his name was Adam. Sorry, I am a bit scatter-brained sometimes."

"It's ok. I get like that sometimes too. And I met your brother. I think he was in one of my classes. Maybe my math class."

"Yeah, he's in math first period with Mr. Stupak. Poor man, what a horrid last name. I could just imagine the type of ridicule that he had to endure."

"You know, I should have pieced it together that you were his sister, you two look so much alike."

"We are twins. Although I am two minutes older. And don't think for a second that I ever let him forget it." We laughed softly since class had just started. I could tell that I would really like Amanda. She was so sweet.

"Today we start Macbeth. This novel was written by William Shakespeare, a pioneer in his time. He was an extraordinary writer and of unparalleled skill. I want everyone to really think about the play while we read through it; there will be a project at the end. The project will be worth fifteen percent of your grade, so please take it seriously. It will take about a week, maybe a little more, to read through the play, and then you will have three weeks to prepare your projects.

"I will go in more depth later, but please be advised that it is worth a lot of points, and it will be in presentation format. You will have a partner, so please also keep that in mind. I will pick them for you, so please do not slack off." She was handing out copies of Macbeth while she talked, and since I had already read Macbeth back in Phoenix, I wasn't too worried about the project, just the person.

After she handed out the books, we started reading the first scene and I lost track of time. Next thing I knew, the bell had rung and she was wishing us a good day.

I went to my locker while there were plenty of people around, just in case and then quickly walked to my car. I was ready for some down time.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I had a strange feeling, like when your earlobe itches, they say someone is either thinking or talking about you. Nothing itched, but I still felt odd.

I turned to look just as the weird girl spun around and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

_**~Chapter 2~**_

I pulled into the house and breathed a sigh of relief. I had made it through my whole first day. I knew that the remainder of the school year was going to be a long one.

I got out of my car and walked sluggishly up the front steps. I unlocked the door and walked into the house, taking off my coat as I stepped into the heated entryway. I slowly walked up to my room on the second floor and, dumping my bag onto the computer chair, flopped on my bed.

I just laid there for a while, letting the day's events sink in and the only thing that I couldn't shake from my mind was the weird girl. For some reason she had made an imprint in my brain and I couldn't push her from my mind.

I have no idea how long I laid there, maybe a half hour, when I heard my mom walking up the steps. I knew it was her because she was always so much louder than Nick was.

He was like a cat stalking its prey. Kind of eerie in a way, but nothing out of the normal for him. He was just more graceful than my clumsy mother.

She walked past my door and went to her work room. I knew she would come back in just a minute though, when she had dropped off her load, so I sat up on my bed and tried to make myself appear at least content.

I knew she would want to know everything about my day. She was the kind of mom who would want to know every last detail.

"Hey sweety, how was your first day of school?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"It was ok. Nothing great, but not enough to have me running for the hills. Yet." I couldn't let her think that I totally loved the place either.

"Well, I think given some time, you will grow to love this place." She looked like she wanted to say more on the subject and I hated having these kinds of talks with her, she wanted to dissect every possible thought and emotion. I have always said she should have been a psychiatrist or something.

"So what was all that stuff you were bringing up?" I tried to sound interested and it must have worked. She was always so easily distracted.

"Oh, that was stuff for the business, would you like to come in and take a look?" I could already tell that she was practically bursting at the seams to share her day's spoils.

I walked to her room in a daze, not really looking forward to the next hour but not wanting the alternative.

Mom was trying to start her own work from home business as a seamstress. She didn't know much about the computer so it was a surprise to both Nick and me when she said "I want to own my own business. Maybe an internet thing, selling dresses made to fit. What do you guys think?"

We thought she was crazy, but she was happy with her endeavor.

She pulled out swatches of silk, satin and some where cottons and nylon. She also had small clips of lace, ribbon, trim and cords.

And of course in mom fashion, she wanted to show me just about every possible color and style combination that she could come up with. I could never get into fashion the way she had, even though she tried her very hardest to have me love it as much as she.

She held up this off green color swatch next to a soft purple and asked me what I thought and the first word that came to mind was weird. However, once I thought the word _weird_, I immediately got to thinking about that girl again. For some reason, I just could not shake her from my mind.

She was so odd. How could she know that I was standing around that corner? I really hadn't made much of a sound. And the way she looked at those guys when they were talking, almost as if she were sitting right there next to them and then called out her name.

Then, as I thought about it, I did not know her name. I just kept on referring to her as the weird girl. Maybe if I would have stopped to talk to her this morning, I could have gotten to know her.

Then again, she didn't look to happy that I had been spying on her. But in my defense I didn't mean to. It wasn't like I was walking down hallways, peeking around corners just trying to catch people doing weird things.

Mom, completely oblivious to my reverie, kept on talking about this swatch with that lace.

And I would really like to know what that look was after school. She really was a weird girl and I want to know about her, but how to go about getting to know her, without talking to her?

Then all of a sudden it was quiet and I couldn't figure out why. I looked at my mom to see why she stopped talking to find her staring at me with a perplexed expression.

Had I been talking to myself?

I had been known to do that without really meaning to do it.

"Marie, what's going on?" Crap. This was her "mother tone" as I call it.

"It's just been a long day. Getting to know new people and taking classes that have already started, it's just stressing." Who ever said that I had to tell her what was bothering me the most. She just asked what was going on.

"Sweetheart, you know it's going to take a lot of getting used to. And we wouldn't have made this move if Nick and I weren't positive that you would survive this. We always have your best interest at heart."

Great, now I made her feel bad. "Mom, I know it's going to take some getting used to. Trust me; I knew that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. And I do know it will take some getting used to; you know how much I like change. I know it will happen in its own time. And without hurting your feelings, please let me have the space to adjust."

Oh please don't let her take offense to that.

"Of course, I won't ask you again. I will let you have all the time in the world, just so long as you are trying to adjust. Deal?"

"I love you mom. By the way, what are we having?" I love how easy it is to change the subject with mom.

"You know, I wasn't sure. I do need to run to the market. Would you like to go with me?"

"I would love to go and help you find something to invent, but I really need to go do some homework before dinner. I don't want to get behind my first day."

"Oh, right. Yes, go do your homework. I don't want to be the reason you fail." She winked at me as I made my way to the door and back to my room.

Obviously I was too preoccupied to do any homework, but I needed to make it look good for mom. Plus, I had already gone over most of the material back home, so it shouldn't be much work on my part. For a while at least.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and let myself fall back into the down comforter that I had gotten as a gift for my birthday last year. It was so soft and giving, it made me feel like I was floating on a cloud.

I closed my eyes so I could try and forget about the things running through my mind; Adam Roland, weird girl, mom, Nick, new city, Phoenix, Amanda, Rachael, school...

I knew I had fallen asleep. It was one of those waking dreams where you know you are sleeping, but you couldn't wake up. I was sitting in the backseat of an old car with a car seat next to me. I recognized the baby. It was me and I was about three or four months old.

I saw the back of a woman's head and then she turned to look in my direction, almost as if she could see me. She looked just like me, just a few years older than I am now. I guessed she was my mother or what I thought she would look like. I had no memories of her.

The man driving the car was handsome at least. He had jet black hair and from the rearview mirror I could tell he had the prettiest sky blue eyes I had ever seen, even on television.

I sat there listening to her speak and marveling in her voice, it was smooth and had a musical like quality to it. I would bet she was a lovely singer as well.

Then the weirdest thing happened, it was like the entire car seemed to glow the most wonderful red color, almost like a rose, and everything seemed to go in slow motion.

The baby disappeared from the seat next to me, leaving just the car seat. The woman held up her hand and started moving her lips as though speaking, despite the fact that I couldn't tell if there was any sound coming out of her mouth.

I blinked and I was standing on the sidewalk, outside of the car along with many people watching the scene unfold.

The car couldn't stop and was about to run the red light, with a large semi-truck barreling down on them. It was like everything around me went in slow motion as I watched the car speed out into the street, in perfect sync with the truck.

The truck hit the side of the car head-on. As if it couldn't get any worse than that, the car somehow became stuck on the front of the truck then was pulled under the front of the truck.

The economy sized car went under the front wheels, then the back. It must have fractured the gas tank because not even a second after the last wheel of the truck hit the pavement did the car burst into flames.

I watched in horror as the woman and man burned alive in the car, not even sure if they were unconscious.

No person made a move on the street. No one could do anything to save the burning family.

I woke with a start as I heard a car door shut in the driveway. I got up, not sure what to think and looked out into the night, as Nick made his way to the house.

I sat back down on the bed, reliving the horrid dream, not able to push it out of my mind. I wasn't sure what had really happened to my family, my mom hadn't been told and no one was sure what my real name had been before being placed in the foster home.

However, I was sure there was no way that I could have known anything about an accident, let alone the exact details. I was only an infant in the car. Even then, I wasn't anywhere near them when it happened.

I tried to meditate and relax myself so that I could go down to help mom with dinner, anything to get my mind on something else. I couldn't let mom know anything, or let on that something is bothering me.

I came down the stairs and immediately engaged Nick in conversation, and listened fervently, to distract myself.

"So, how was your day Nick?"

"Oh, well it was great actually. I had a conference call with the CEO, president and vice president. The director of this region was here at our office for the conference call as well and..." he paused for effect "...they unanimously agreed that I was the most suitable person to handle a new account they are trying to acquire. If they get the contract, I will be the head person on the project."

He ended his speech and gave a huge grin showing his pride in his accomplishment. As soon as mom processed the information, she was practically jumping up and down for joy for Nick and his success.

"Oh my goodness Nick. That's great. I am so happy for you." She ran over to him and basically bounced into his arms to give him a congratulatory hug. Her enthusiasm for his success was tangible. I was swept away in the moment and soon I was almost as happy about the turn of events as mom was.

"Yea, this is a big promotion. Even bigger than getting this job here. They really think something of me up into the highest levels and I know this is my time. I am just happy that I have a wonderful family to share this time with."

Mom began rambling about the possibilities of his advancement and such so I moved toward the table to finish setting it for dinner.

"Yeah so not only is it a promotion in the sense of my position, but there is also the pay and benefits that are beyond what we dreamed of."

After a few more minutes of celebration, Nick's face changed a little, like he was reluctant to share any more information.

"There is just one drawback to the job which is why I haven't accepted it yet."

"Do I really want to hear this?" mom asked slowly.

"Well, since I will be the project manager, I would have to travel some. It would be a few times a year, up to ten and usually about a week each, but could be longer."

"Oh." Was all mom could say.

"If I accept this position, I will need to leave in about two and a half weeks, for about a week to a week and half. This means I would be gone for Valentine's Day. They asked me to think it over but to give them an answer soon. Otherwise they would go with the next candidate."

Mom and Nick were both quiet for a few minutes. Mom was deliberating and Nick was patient.

"Well, I know that it will take some getting used to but I think that this would be the best move for not only you and your career but the family as well. I won't pretend to be happy while you are away, but I want you to accept the offer. You may not get a chance like this again and I don't want you to think I am holding you back."

Mom hadn't looked up from her plate while she spoke but then she looked at Nick and he was radiating excitement.

Mom and Nick talked the rest of the night, without questioning my silence. After dinner they washed dishes and I went in the living room to watch a little bit of television. I was glad Nick had brought home news; it made it easier for him to reflect on my dream without mom getting suspicious.

They came back in the living room to watch Jeopardy with me.

The night passed quickly enough after that and soon I was able to feign exhaustion.

"I think I'm going to turn in." I said as I got up from the couch and stretched.

"Honey, it's barely ten. Are you feeling ok?" Of course mom went into mother mode at the very idea of me feeling sick.

"Yes, I'm fine mom. Just a long day of school. I'll see you guys in the morning. Love you." I heard mom and Nick say their goodnights as I trudged up the stairs to my room.

"I got ready for bed, wishing that we were back in Phoenix where the houses there on average had a two and a half bath. I had my own bathroom back then and didn't have to share with mom and Nick. That was going to take some getting used to.

I crawled into my queen size bed and cuddled up against my body pillow. It was soft mocha suede, fitting perfectly into the décor of my room.

As I laid there in bed, my mind went back to my earlier dream against my will. I could not let go of this dream and the odd feeling I kept on getting. It was like déjà vu.

I knew that the woman in the car felt familiar to me but I couldn't be sure why she did. I laid there in bed for a little while longer and closed my eyes, remembering the face of the woman.

I tried to store her to my memory as best I could so I could see if I remembered her from somewhere. Maybe from my childhood. I did go to daycare when I was little; maybe that was how I got her face.

I rolled over to my nightstand and turned on my MP3 player on my phone and let myself be taken away by the music.

The next thing I knew it was 6:45 A.M. and my alarm was going off for me to get up for school.

I quickly got ready, picking out a pair of straight leg jeans and a plain blue long-sleeved shirt. Blue was my best color; or so I had been told.

I walked out of the house with my granola bar and a juice box and went straight for my car. I noticed it had rained sometime last night because it has frozen into a nice little layer coating the ground.

It was pretty thin and cracked as I stepped, but in some places it had pooled and was thicker and slicker.

I got into my car and drove down the street. I figured I might as well try to familiarize myself with the area so I drove down another street that I was pretty positive would meet up with Main Street at the end.

I hoped it did.

I took the street down to Main Street and turned left to go toward school. As I got to the next intersection I saw a little girl playing on the side of the sidewalk while her mother put money into a parking meter next to the bank.

The light turned green and I was about to go through when I heard the most awful sound. It was like metal grinding on metal. I stopped just in time to see the car run through the red light, tires squealing and the driver pulling anxiously at the wheel trying to straighten the car up.

It was like déjà vu from my dream last night. I was soon pulled out of my daydream when my thought went to the little girl on the street.

Then it was like two things happened at once. The car started to go into a spiral from the drivers attempts to straighten it out on the icy street. The little girl, hearing the sound, turned to look for it and in doing so slipped on some ice and fell into the street; right in the way of the speeding and spiraling car.

I was so shocked as I stared at the horrible scene in front of me, knowing the outcome. The little girl was going to get hit by the car and probably wouldn't make it through the accident.

Just as the car was about ten feet from the little girl, I put my hands up like I was sitting there next to her and tried to block her. It was as if someone had pulled up on the car and it did a somersault over the little girl lying in the street while her mother tried to run after her.

I dropped my hands in astonishment just at the same time that the car started to drop back to the ground. Everyone around ran toward the little girl and the driver of the car, who had somehow landed upright back onto the pavement not even twenty feet from the forming crowd and the little girl.

I started to get out of my car when a person caught my attention on the opposite side of the street, across from the scene.

The person had their mouth open in shock and stood almost as if made out of stone. There were two things about this person stopped me in tracks and made me take notice of them.

First, they were staring at me as if I had just performed an act of God.

Second, it was the weird girl.


	3. Chapter 3

_**~Chapter 3~**_

No one noticed anything strange at school and when I got to looking around; I didn't see the weird girl. It was almost second period when people started to talk about what had happened.

I was sitting in my Economics class, second period, when people started talking about it.

"Hey Marie, did you hear about that almost accident this morning on Main Street?" She whispered it across the aisle while Mrs. Engle lectured.

This was the only class I had with Rachael and thank goodness that I had it with someone I could talk to. Economics was just not my forte.

"I was actually there when it happened. The car almost hit my car right before it spun out." I tried to talk as quietly as possible so that no one else would hear me.

No such luck.

It was like my voice had traveled over the loud speaker and half the class turned to look in my direction.

The rest of the day went about in the same way once people heard that I was there. The table we chose to sit at was so full of people by the end of lunch that I was almost late to class trying to work my way through the throng of people.

I guess news traveled quickly in small towns and even faster in small schools.

All the way through Chemistry people asked me questions about the accident and the same through my Fine Art Appreciation class during sixth.

When I walked into my last class I scanned the room but much to my surprise I didn't see the weird girl. I wondered if she had even come to school after the accident.

"So, how has your day been going? I hear you have become quite popular." Amanda said the last as an apology.

"I hate being the center of attention. It was bad enough that I was the new girl. Now I'm the new girl who saw the almost horrible accident." I didn't mean for that much acid to creep into my voice, but Amanda didn't seem to notice. I think she empathized.

"Trust me I understand. When we first moved here it was the same way. We were only in eighth grade then, but I guess my brother is a bit of a girl magnet." The understatement of the century. "Anyway, so every girl tried to be my best friend thinking that they could get to him through me. And since every girl was trying to vie for his attention, most of the guys hated him."

"I'm sorry. That must have been horrible." I could only imagine.

Miss Mowery walked into class and pulled out her book of Macbeth. She started reading lines from the first act that we hadn't finished yesterday.

We started whispering so that no one would hear us.

"It honestly didn't last more than a few weeks. See, Adam isn't really much into dating. He thinks girls our age are too shallow or something. Either way, after about two weeks of endless girls hitting on him and people finding out that he didn't have someone back home be was waiting on, the girls kind of backed off."

"He isn't like-"

"No. He is not. I think a lot of people, especially the girls, wanted to think that he was since he wasn't interested in them. But no. He definitely likes girls. Just hasn't found one that he likes."

"Well what about Stephanie. I mean she is gorgeous." I didn't even finish my sentence before I saw her shaking her head.

"Adam doesn't really like her that way. Although she is diluted enough in her thinking to think that he does. He is just too nice to tell her like it is. It makes me so angry though that she is going behind his back saying that he is taking her to the Valentine's Day Dance. He isn't even going."

Without realizing that I had been looking forward to it, my heart dropped when I heard he wasn't going.

"Oh, so that's who she was talking about yesterday at lunch. I guess it all makes sense now."

"Is there something you two ladies would like to share with the rest of the class?" Miss Mowery was standing not even two seats away and was staring at us, along with the rest of the class.

"Well, Amanda told me before class started that she didn't really understand the play and I told her that I could help her understand." I didn't normally lie so well, but today is seemed natural.

"So you have studied Macbeth or do you just like to read?"

"We studied Macbeth in my old school in my honor's class. It was one of the first plays we read this year. I was just about to ask her if we could get together sometime after school so that maybe I could help her understand better."

"Well, that sounds like an offer that you shouldn't really pass up Amanda. But next time please keep conversations, whether related to the class or not, for either before or after my class."

Miss Mowery walked away as she started to read Act 2, Scene 1.

I looked back at my desk and there was a crumpled piece of paper lying on my notebook. I opened it up and it said:

Nice save.

_Thank you._ I mouthed back to her. I jotted down a quick note and tossed it onto her desk while Miss Mowery had her back turned to the white board.

Would you like to hang out sometime? Not really sure what there is to do around here.

Amanda read it quickly and wrote her own message. The note landed back onto my notebook.

We can walk out to the together and decide.

I looked back at her and she looked like she was in a good mood. This was probably the best mood I had been in since we moved here a week ago. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.

We decided to go to her house since mine was still a mess from moving. I followed her home so that I could leave straight from her house.

We pulled up in front of an old Victorian looking house that was recently remodeled.

"Oh my God. Your house is stunning."

"Mom loves this type of this. She used to teach about the early nineteen hundreds at some fancy college back east and just fell in love with architecture of the era. Me personally, it's just a house."

We walked up the front steps past their perfect front lawn. The front door was made of mahogany wood that had a large oval shaped window cut into the middle. It was the type of glass that you could see their, but everything on the other side was blurry.

As we took off our coats by the coat rack I thought of mom and how she would be getting ready to great me from the front door.

"Would you mind if I used your phone? I should probably call my mom and let her know that I will not be home for a few hours."

"Sure, the phone is this way."

She walked down the hall filled with antique pictures and a very old chandelier. The front room was an old-fashioned style sitting room with a sofa and love-seat set fitting in perfectly with early 1900's style motif.

There was also a big fluffy style chair that looked like some kind of old-fashioned reading chair with a matching ottoman. It was put into the corner of the room with a reading lamp on an antique side table with a small collection of books behind it.

On the chair, sitting so comfortably and reading a book was Adam.

Amanda was standing in front of me and was the first to speak.

"Hey Adam. I didn't know you were home. What are you home?"

"It's my house too Amanda, I can come and go just the same as you." His tone was laid back and he didn't even bother to look up at her from his book.

"No, I mean that it's Tuesday. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the city with club thingy?"

"No, I quit that "club thingy" two weeks ago because I didn't get along well with some of the people there. You know how much I love conflict."

"Of course."

"Amanda, would you mind a little bit of quiet time before mom comes home. Trying to read this book."

He still hadn't looked up from the book in his hands. The book was green in what looked like a suede texture and gold lettering. But I couldn't tell what the name of the book was because the title was written in a fancy manuscript.

Amanda rolled her eyes and said "Whatever Adam. We just came in here to use the phone, but she can use the phone in the kitchen. Come on Marie."

As I turned to walk out of the study I saw him look up from the book with confusion and something else written clearly on his face. I stepped back through the doorway and skipped ahead behind Amanda who was already on her way to the kitchen, talking about something incoherently.

As I neared her I could hear what she was complaining about.

"Sorry about my brother. Sometimes he can be so rude when he is reading."

"No, it's fine. I get the same way sometimes. So what was that about the city?"

"Oh, sorry. I forgot that you don't know what we're talking about. The city is Twin Peaks. The town is so small that there are not many things for teens to do, so a lot of them shop at the mall in Twin Peaks. And since he is in to books, he joined kind of club in the city a few months back. He was going every Tuesday night."

"Okay. That makes sense. I wonder why he left."

"Adam gets bored with things like that easily. He loves reading, but for the most part he isn't a sociable person at school. It's like he hates everything about people our age and '_our shallow minds_.' He is always talking about how superficial the girls are too. I think that's why he is such an outcast. I mean, he could be the most popular guy in school, but he prefers to be alone I guess. Anyway, the phone is right here. Do you want something to drink?"

She walked over to the fridge and opened the door. I dialed the number to the house after looking at my printed copy so I wouldn't forget.

"Umm, I think I'll just have a coke." There was a large selection in the fridge, more than anyone one house should have. I guess no one here agreed on what to drink.

Mom wasn't there to pick up the phone, so I left a message on the machine for her when she got back.

She grabbed a coke and a diet coke and came back to me.

Amanda handed me the coke about the same time that I hung up the phone.

"You know, it's kind of weird that you drink the same thing as Adam." She had an amused look on her face as she looked at me.

"Why is that weird?"  
"Nothing." She smiled at me before she turned around and grabbed an apple from the counter basket.

"So, what would you like to do today?"

"Hmmm. Maybe a movie? Not really in the mood to go home early or to do homework."

"That sounds perfect. What do you like?"

"Just about any comedy or romance. You?"

She walked away from the counter and threw her apple away and started walking into the front room again and turned into the second doorway, the one before the study. It was a family room with a computer and television.

Amanda walked over to a covered wall of movies and picked out one. She held it up for me to see.

"How about _The Notebook_?"

"I loved it. That movie is always a classic."

She put the movie in the DVD player and we sat down to watch the movie. About half way through the movie, Adam walked into the room carrying some popcorn and three more sodas. Two cokes and a diet.

"What are you doing in here Adam? You hate romances."

"Mom's home."

"Oh. Ok, just be quiet." I guess their mom being home explained it. Although I wasn't sure what it explained.

Amanda saw my confused expression and leaned across the couch.

"Mom is always bugging Adam about dating a girl from the area. She thinks he's like depressed or something. Anyway, if she knows we are in here, she won't think Adam is here."

She sat back up and grabbed the bowl of popcorn out of Adam's hand and set it between us.

"By the way, here are some more cokes. Think of it as a bribe to not tell anyone that I'm home."

He crossed the room and set the sodas down between us, taking one coke for himself.

After the movie was over, Amanda turned to me and started talking, either pretending Adam wasn't there or ignoring that he was.

"So, are you going to the dance next Friday? Maybe you could drive with me to the city to look at some dresses at the mall. I could really use a critic."

"I actually haven't even thought about it. I mean, it is only my second day in Ridgeway High. Who would I even go with? I don't even know if I'd like someone to spend the entire evening with them."

"I actually have someone in mind, but give me a few days to work on it. This one is going to be hard. But I think it will be worth it, especially since I know this person has a thing for you. Try as he might to hide it."

She had a mischievous look on her face so I left it at that. But who did she have picked out for me?

Before I knew it Amanda and I were leaving school to go catch a movie and the small building they passed for a theater. It was the new release of some romance that I had never heard of but it sounded like it would be good.

The weird girl came back to school on Wednesday but she never said or looked at me again. It was almost like I didn't even exist anymore and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

Part of me was glad that I didn't have her looking at me all the time, wondering what she was thinking about, but the other part of me was disappointed because I never got the chance to know her and it was like I felt incomplete with the knowledge that I wouldn't get to know her.

On our way to the theater Amanda turned to me with a huge grin on her face.

"So, I found you a date to the Valentine's Day Dance. Although this one took me more persuading than I had thought it would. So, you are going with me tomorrow afternoon to the city to look for some dresses."

"Ok. So who am I going with then?"

"Hah! Like I am going to tell you. You will just have to wait and find out. It will be a blind date, we will pick you up Saturday night at 6 P.M. so we can all go to dinner."

"Wait, so you won't tell me who I am going with? Why not?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Because I don't want you to come up with some excuse why you couldn't go. I am pretty sure about the chemistry going on with this person and I don't want you to back out."

"What about this 'other person'. Does he know we are going to the dance together?"

"Of course he does. I asked him. Bribed him was more like it." She turned to see my face at the word bribe. "Oh it was nothing like that. I knew he wanted to go. It was written all over his face that he had a thing for you."

"Oh my gosh, you are killing me. Can't you just tell me who?" I turned my best pleading face on her.

"Nope." She extenuated the "P" on the end of the word. "And don't think that face does anything for me. I use the same one on my family." She turned to smile at me.

Well, I guess my pleading face wouldn't work. It had worked on my mother.


	4. Chapter 4

_**~Chapter 4~**_

I woke up to the phone ringing on the stand next to my bed. It was 9:30 on Saturday morning. Who would call this early on one of the few days that I got to sleep in?

I reached over to the phone and yanked it off of the charging base.

"Hello?" I asked sleepily.

"Are you still in bed? It's time to wake up sleepy head. I am having breakfast so I will be there in 20 minutes. Be ready to walk out the door."

I stared at the phone in my hand, hearing the dial tone. She hung up before I had a chance to think of what was going on.

Slowly the talk of going shopping in Twin Peaks for dresses for the Valentine's Day Dance crept back into my head.

I rolled out of bed and walked slowly to the bathroom to start getting ready.

After a quick look into the mirror, I knew I wouldn't get away with just washing my face and doing my hair.

The hot shower water felt good and I stayed in there a few minutes too long. When I finally shut the water off, I realized that I really only had about five minutes to get ready.

I grabbed my favorite pair of hip hugger blue jeans and a soft brown cotton three quarter shirt and threw them on. As I was pulling my shoes on I heard her pull up in her 2002 Alero and honk the horn.

I wished my car looked as nice as hers. It was a shiny red with a blue interior. I think the inside might have been redone to add the black look. But overall, it was a slick looking car.

I ran down the stairs and to the kitchen to grab a Nutrigrain bar and a juice box. Mom still bought those little kid things because she actually liked the taste of them.

"Hey, why are you in such a rush?" Mom was sitting at the table reading the newspaper from Twin Peaks. They didn't have a local paper because the town was so small.

And since Twin Peaks was the closest town, the town of Ridgeway had the paper delivered three times a week.

"Amanda and I are going to the city to go dress shopping."

Mom gave me this bewildered look.

"What would you need a dress for? And who is Amanda?"

"Mom, Amanda is the girl that I told you about. Remember I went to her house Tuesday after school and we went to the movies last night."

"Oh, that's right. Ok so we got the who part, now what about the what part?"

"The Valentine's Day Dance. I did tell you about that didn't I?"

"No, actually you didn't. I really haven't seen much from you in the last few days."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, Amanda wanted me to go so she set me up on a blind date to double with her and her date. So, we were going to look for dresses."

"Well that sounds like a wonderful idea. Would you like a third eye? I could help you decide."

Oh, NO! Mom hanging out with a couple of teenage girls, acting like one of us. I didn't think I could handle that.

She put her paper on the table and was getting ready to stand up-

"I honestly wouldn't mind but I was thinking that it would be nice to just be able to hang out and get to know someone from the area. Not like I wouldn't want you there, it's just a girl's day out thing. But I promise we will be safe and be back at a decent time."

She looked like her feelings might have been hurt by my comment but before I had the chance to make her feel better, the horn honked again outside the window.

I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. I motioned for one more minute to Amanda who just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Mom, I really have to go but maybe I'll find something for you at the mall."

"Well, that's fine. I wouldn't really want to intrude on your afternoon. But promise me you will be safe."

"Of course, mom."

I turned and walked out of the kitchen to the entryway to grab a light jacket and my purse. I pulled my small stash of money out of my pocket and put it into my wallet and then back into the purse.

I opened the door and...

"Just one more thing."

"Yes mom?" I had to be patient with her.

"Here is some more money. Not much but I'm not sure if you have enough to get what you need. It's only about a hundred, but should be able to get you some shoes or something to go with it. Have a nice day sweety."

"Thank you mom."

I gave her a hug and shut the door behind me and jogged my way to Amanda's idling car.

"Your mom is really pretty. You look just like her you know."

I almost laughed when I saw the small complex that they called a mall. Back in Phoenix our mall was almost the size of like two or three football fields. This was just a large cluster of stores, maybe twenty or so with only one major department store.

"So, where shall we start?" Amanda was already in a good mood. Gotta love teenage girls when they think of shopping.

"Umm, I'm not really sure. Where would you like to start?"

"Let's try one of the smaller shops to see if we can find a dress cheaper there. I really don't want to spend all of my money on a dress."

We walked past of couple of small shops until we found what she was looking for: a small store focusing solely on women's fashions called Fashionista Express.

"You will love this place. They have all of the best clothes and fashions in like a hundred mile radius. And they are pretty cheap. Only thing is a lot of girls like to shop here and from the small towns like ours too. So sometimes you can't find anything close to a dance like this."

Amanda was a talker and I really didn't ever have much to contribute to the conversation anyway. She was my kind of friend. My complete opposite.

"Oooh. This has to be the most gorgeous dress that I have ever seen."

She walked over to the last rack on the left side of the store and picked up a silk royal blue floor-length dress with silver quarter inch trim on the bottom and around the neckline. It had a v-shaped neckline that came up to the shoulders to a smaller piece, and then plunged down the back in a much deeper v-shape than the front.

"Wow." was the only word that my befuddled mind could come up with. It was an amazing dress.

"I'm going to try it on. But first, let's see if we can find you something. Let's see, you have a soft olive complexion with long auburn hair. Hmmm."

It only took her a minute of looking around the store to find something that caught her eye.

She practically ran across the room in her excitement to grab the dress from the rack.

"This is so perfect for you. I think that the colors will help bring out the natural beauty of your face."

I rolled my eyes at her, although she didn't see because she was too fascinated in the dress.

It was floor-length red dress with a black sheer overlay to give it a toned looked. From the midline up to the top of the bust line was black with red dime sized sequences that were splattered in complete disarray yet looked planned at the same time.

It had halter-top black straps that completed the dress with an almost square bust. It really was startling.

She handed me the dress as we took our spoils to the dressing room to try them on. I quickly got dressed and looked at the mirror in the dressing room. I never did like the show and tell.

"It looks good Amanda. I think I'll get it."

"Well, come out here and let me see it. Do not think for one moment that I will let you get away without letting me see it. Now come on."

Amazing, not even a week and she already knew me too well. I guess it was fate.

I came out of the dressing room and stopped dead in my tracks. Standing there looking into the mirror herself was Amanda, who looked like a Greek Goddess come to life.

There was no way that I was going to go now.

The blue and silver of the dress just brought out the beautiful blonde hair and her amazing looks. I could only imagine how she would look come Saturday when she was all done up.

"Oh my God Amanda. You are just..." I didn't know what to say.

"What, you don't like it?" She gave me a disappointed look that said she didn't know how gorgeous she looked.

"Are you kidding me. You look amazing."  
For the first time she turned around to see me.

"You look great. I think that it is the perfect dress."

"Wow. You two look great." We both turned in the direction of the voice to see Stephanie standing there with Melissa, her younger sister. "I didn't know you guys were going shopping. I would have asked you if you wanted to go with us."

"It's ok. I didn't know if I was even going to go to the dance until late Thursday night and I didn't want to ask you last minute if you wanted to join me. And I didn't find Marie here someone to go with until yesterday after school. So..." Amanda replied.

"No, it's fine. Who are you two going with?" Melissa asked.

"Well, I am going with Rick Strider and Marie here is going on a blind date with an unknown person."

"You mean, you don't even know this person?" Of course Stephanie had an 'I can't believe you' look.

"Actually, I am getting her up on the blind date and she doesn't know who it is because I haven't told her yet. It is going to be a surprise." Amanda said matter-of-factly.

"Oh well I guess that's ok. So, would you tell me who it is?" Stephanie queried.

"Nope, because I don't want it getting out whom she is going with. Like I said, it's a surprise."

"Oh, ok. So, speaking of who is going with whom, I tried asking your brother to go with me and he said he wasn't going. I wonder why he wouldn't want to go with me, of all people."

I could see instantly what Amanda meant about Stephanie's flippant attitude.

"Sorry Stephanie, I am not my brother's keeper so I wouldn't know what he thinks or why he does what he does."

"Well, I am going alone just in case he decides he wants to go anyway. And that way I won't have to dump some guy while I'm there. Maybe I'll take someone to escort me anyway that way I don't look like a dork by myself."

It looked like she was going to go on and on about the dance and herself so I interjected.

"Who are you going with Melissa?" She had been quiet and it looked like Amanda was getting agitated.

"Oh, well, I was asked by Chase." She replied timidly.

"What? You are going with that loser?" Stephanie just about yelled at her.

"Well, I think he is actually kind of nice." I said on behalf of Melissa.

"Whatever." Stephanie said and walked away to look at dresses.

"Thank you. I was really afraid of telling her because I knew what she thought of him. I think he is a really sweet guy too. He asked me almost two weeks ago but I was trying to hide it from her."

Melissa was so sweet.

"It's ok. I completely understand. I think I would be a bit scared to tell her things too. She seems a bit picky."

"Just a little bit." We both laughed for a second before she said. "By the way, you two look great. I think I am going to have a run for my money come Saturday."

"You think?"

"I told you that you look great Marie. Why didn't you believe me?" complained Amanda.

"I didn't believe you because you have a personal stake in this, whatever it may be." I chastised her.

She smiled sweetly and we both went back to change into our regular clothes and get our dresses.

"Would you mind if I hung out with you two today? I have a feeling that Stephanie is going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the afternoon." Melissa smiled hesitantly as if she was trying to hide her discomfort.

"Sure, we could always use a second eye." Amanda stated without thinking twice.

"Ok, well, I'll be right back. I'm going to go and break the news to Stephanie."

Melissa walked away as we headed to the counter to pay for our dresses.

"So, I think we will find some grub and then go find our shoes and stuff. Maybe even a cute handbag or something."

While Amanda paid for her dress I started looking around the small shop to see if there was anything else that I might like to buy. I walked out of the shop back into the mall and saw Stephanie and Melissa standing in the corner looking like they were having an argument.

I didn't want it to look like I was spying on them so I turned my head and looked down the way at the other shops and the people going in and out of them.

As I was looking down the hall, I saw a store that had almost blacked out windows and a very weird name that I couldn't read from this angle.

Looking into the windows of the store was none other than the weird girl.

She turned around and stared right at me and looked like she was about to come over in my direction when Amanda came out of the store talking to me.

The weird girl stopped and then turned around.

I didn't even have time to wonder what that was about because...

"-I was thinking maybe Chinese or even Italian. What do you think? Hey Marie, are you listening to me?"

I turned around to see Amanda staring at me with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, sorry. I guess I was just in my own little world there for a minute."

"Yeah, I would say so. So what sounds good?" Amanda pressed.

"I'm not sure. Why don't we ask Melissa if she is hungry, maybe she might be in the mood for something in particular."

Just as I got done talking, Melissa came back over to us and said "I'm hungry. How does pizza sound?"

She looked really cheering, or maybe it was just an act.

"Sounds good. Let's go this way." And Amanda started off into the direction of the nearest pizza place in the mall.

After lunch the rest of the day went off without a hitch and all three of us had fun trying on shoes and finding other accessories to match our dresses.

The ride home was short and filled with laughter. Our entire mood for the day was upbeat and euphoric.

Amanda pulled into my driveway and dropped me off first since Melissa lived closer to her house.

"Thank you Amanda. It was great getting out and doing something. We should make it a weekly habit to hang out." I offered as I was grabbing my bags.

"Sounds like a plan, how about tomorrow after school? I have something to do with my mom but after that I'm free. Just come on over and I will be home in like an hour or so."

"Sounds great. It was nice getting to know you Melissa. Bye."

I shut the car door and walked up the front steps to the house and waved bye as Amanda's car pulled out of the driveway.

I walked into the house where mom was waiting and gave her a basic rundown of the entire day while she hung on my every word. That was one thing I loved about mom, nothing was too trivial for her to listen to.

She always made time for me.

I went to bed early that night because I was so tired from my early start and fun-filled day. Maybe I would actually like it here.


	5. Chapter 5

_**~Chapter 5~**_

Monday morning I drove into the parking lot to see Amanda having a conversation with Adam by her car. It looked almost like Adam was unhappy, but as soon as he caught sight of my beat-up old car, he grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and walked away.

Amanda, pretending like nothing was going on, hollered, "Hey, I was wondering what was taking you so long this morning."

"Yeah, I had a long weekend because some crazy chick was dragging me to every shop she could think of." I replied with a smile.

"Yeah, well I think that you liked hanging out with the crazy chick."

"Eh, it wasn't so bad."

Amanda turned and walked toward her first class, and I quickly followed suit.

"So what was that about with Adam?" I asked as we walked to the school.

"Oh, it was nothing. He is just getting grumpy with me about Stephanie. She bombarded him this morning as he got out of the car about the dance. She is still insisting that he go with her and she will hear nothing else of it."

"Wow, is she diluted or what? I mean, he did say he wasn't going, so why is she getting her panties all in a bunch?"

"Well, I guess she overheard someone saying that Adam was going with someone to the dance and it kinda made her mad, especially since that someone wasn't her."

Beyond comprehension, I said the first thing that came to mind, without meaning to. "Well did that person say who he was going with?"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted them because Amanda just smiled at me as if she knew it bothered me. I seemed to give away too much of myself.

"No, that person didn't say."

"What's with the smile?"

"Nothing?" She winked at me and kept on walking with the big smile on her face all the way to first period. "I'll see you at lunch."

We parted at her first period class and I continued on to mine, Math. I didn't so much mind math, but this was also the class I had with Adam and with the conversation still fresh in my head, I walked into the classroom to see Adam sitting at his desk, looking a little more than agitated.

I walked timidly to my seat, not wanting to draw any undue attention to myself when he looked up and almost smiled. I saw almost because although he was so mad, it was like he couldn't help himself from smiling.

Well, at least he wasn't mad at me.

"Hey, how was your weekend?" I asked.

"Well, it could have been a lot worse, but not too bad."

We continued to talk for almost ten minutes about nothing in particular; Mr. Stupak was late for class.

As soon as Mr. Stupak walked in however, Adam stopped talking and pulled out his books for class. Guess we were done talking.

As I walked into the lunch room I could tell that Stephanie was still mad because she was sitting at the table complaining about Adam and his "date". I looked over at Amanda who was sitting next to me and she looked like she was trying to hide a smile. What did she find so amusing.

When I went to question her about it, she just smiled at me and shook her head and then said, "You will find out later. And trust me, when you do, you will find this moment as hilarious as I do."

I almost doubted that, but then again, Amanda did know me pretty well.

The rest of the day followed in the same fashion, with Stephanie upset at every mention of Adam and Amanda quietly laughing to herself. When I walked into business class, I walked to my seat next to Adam and sat down quietly. It looked like his earlier irritation was gone as he read over his paper that was due.

I didn't have a chance to talk to Adam because Mrs. Smith walked into the room just as I sat down.

"Hello class. We will be starting a new section this week that deals with businesses and their costs and how it affects the consumer. At the end of the week, you all with have a debate with one other person in the class in which you will debate your side of the exchange. The left side of the room will be on the side of the consumer, while the right side of the class will be the business. Please have your arguments in place before Wednesday as I want to review them with you. I want the entire class to get the most of this exercise."

I was actually excited about this assignment because I love business. Mrs. Smith went on with the rest of the class, bringing out her book to start the day's lecture.

I was surprised when class was over and I was on my way to English. I liked English, but this was the class that I had with the weird girl. She hadn't even so much as looked at me for the last week but she did when I walked into the room today. I don't know why, but the way she looked at me bothered me.

Miss Mowery called the class to attention and began talking about the newest assignment that she had set up for us.

"Now that we have finished reading Macbeth, we will be starting that project that I told you all about last week. I want everyone to prepare a presentation on Macbeth; the manner in which you choose to present this project is up to you. I will also be leaving the subject of the project up to you, as long as it pertains to the story. So, the partners will go as: Jessica Walters with Mark Matthews, Amanda Sinclair with Taylor Kennedy, Melanie Parker with Marie Claire, and Nicholas Smith with Nathan Charles…" she continued down the list of students.

I looked around curiously because I had no idea who Melanie Parker was. Then I realized it all too late, the weird girl was staring right at me.

All I could think about the rest of the class was how I was going to manage doing a project with this girl, when I didn't even really know her. Then again, she hadn't even given me a chance to know her.

The last bell rang for the day and I headed out to my car, to where Amanda was waiting for me.

"Why do you look so glum?" She asked as we walked toward the parking lot.

"Miss Mowery just gave us our Macbeth project."

"Ooh, I loved Macbeth."

"So do I." I told her.

"Then what's the problem?" with a clear look of confusion on her face.

"She partnered me with Melanie Parker."

Confusion was instantly wiped off her face, replaced with mild amusement.

"It's not funny." I cried.

We had reached the cars at this point and I was putting my bag into my front seat.  
"You're right, it's not funny. It's hilarious."

After a minute or so of glaring at her, Amanda stopped laughing enough to say "there is really nothing wrong with her. She is quite nice. I am just laughing at you."

"Gee thanks." I said sarcastically.

"You still coming over?"

"Yeah, I might as well. I don't really have anything else better to do."

I got into my car and followed Amanda to her house, still not sure of the best way to get there.

The evening past by quickly enough and before I knew it, it was time for me to get home so my mother wouldn't be worried.

The week flew by in a blur, with excitement in the air as people found their last prospects for the Valentine's Day Dance and finished making plans on who was meeting what couple where. Stephanie continued her fit of madness of the complete lack of information on the "Adam's date to the dance" thing and soon even her own friends started tuning her out. All the while putting Amanda in a better mood.

But as all things go when you are dreading something, time seemed to speed up. The next thing I know was I was getting ready for school Friday morning. It was like a dooms day meeting since I knew the following morning I would be waking up to what I was dreading most.

I got ready for school methodically and walked out of the house and to my car without much thought as to what I was doing. I drove to the school and pulled into what now had become my usual spot. I saw Amanda in her usual good mood with a persistently stressed Adam walking away from her.

Amanda almost skipped to my car as I got out and greeted me in the most cheerful face I had seen her with all week.

"Good Morning, how did you sleep?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Obviously not as well as you" I grimaced back to her.

"Are you still not in a good mood?"

"Are you going to tell me who I am going to this dance with?" I countered.

"Nope."

"Then no for me as well."

I stomped away towards first period and she just followed behind me at her own pace, which almost always matched mine because she was taller than me.

"So what time are you picking me up tomorrow?"

"Well, let's see. The dance starts at 7 P.M. and the guys are picking us up at 5 P.M. to go to dinner. So, let's just say that I'll be at your house at noon to pick you up. That way we have plenty of time to get ready."

"I would say, five hours to get ready. It's not a wedding Amanda, it's just a dance."

"Oh I know it's just a dance, if it was a wedding we would need at least six hours to get ready."

I was completely flabbergasted at her idea of perfect times for getting ready. At least six hours for a wedding and just five was plenty. I thought five was more than enough. Thank God I had no intention of getting married anytime soon.

Adam was happier when I walked into our first period together, although I had no idea why. I would have to ask Amanda during lunch.

"So, are you excited about tomorrow?" Adam asked as I sat down in my seat next to him.

"Hardly." I couldn't help but end up in a sour mood again at the mention of the dance.

"Why is that?" he asked genuinely curious.

"Did Amanda tell you what she did?"

"Yeah, she got you a date for the dance. I thought it was very generous of her."

"Hmm." That was the best answer I could come up with.

"So, you don't like who she picked for you?" His voice was almost detached and unemotional. It was almost as if he was regretting the answer but still had to know the truth.

"It's not like I know who it is." I glowered.

Surprise. "Oh, you don't know who she picked for you?"

"No, she won't tell me." He had a complete look of shock on his face.

"Wow. I thought for sure she wouldn't be able to keep this a secret for long. Amanda isn't one for secrets."

"Wait, you know who it is?" I can't believe this; she told her brother but won't tell me. Like he cares who is going to the dance.

"Yes I do in fact. Which is why I am so surprised to find out that she hasn't told you. Like I said, she isn't one for secrets."

I could only just look at him.

"What? What did I say?"

"Are you going to tell me or just keep it a secret?"

"Oh, I'm going to keep it a secret." Was that a smug look in his face?

I just couldn't believe this. It looks like the only other person in the entire school who has any idea who I am going with won't tell me either. Perfect!

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because, I want to see the look on your face when you see who it is that's taking you to the dance."

In my head the only thing I could think of was that he was going to be at the house when we were leaving for the dance. I really shouldn't think of him at all since he has shown absolutely no interest in anyone here in the school but there was the thought, implanted before I could reject it.

I didn't have a chance to reply to his statement, not that I could have had a coherent thought at that moment, because Mr. Stupak walked into the room and was eager to start class.

As usual, as soon as class was over, Adam got up and walked quickly out of the room. I wonder what always made him so impatient to leave this class.

During lunch I sat at the usual table with everyone who was talking avidly about tomorrow's dance. The excitement in the lunch room was tangible. Everyone was talking about who they were taking and the girls were gushing about their dresses and comparing whose dress sounded better than whom.

I felt a little left out that I was the only person who was sulking about the dance. But then a sudden thought lifted my spirits. I wasn't the only person sulking. There was always Stephanie.

I walked into my last class to find Melissa already sitting at her desk reading over her notes about Macbeth. As I passed her desk, she looked at me and smiled. I wonder if she thought her smile was welcoming, instead of intimidating?

When I sat down at my desk, she walked towards me and sat down in Jessica Monroe's seat, the girl who sat next to me.

"I was wondering if you would like to get together tomorrow and start on our Macbeth project. I honestly don't want to get behind." She said this all matter-of-factly, like we had been friends for ages rather than this being our first conversation.

"Umm, the dance is tomorrow?" I stated it as a question rather than a statement because this fact should have been obvious.

"Oh, it is?"

Or at least it should have been obvious.

"Yeah, it is. Maybe we can do it Sunday."

"No, Sunday doesn't work for me. Well, what about today after school, this way we can have something ready for Monday?"

"Sure, sounds good." I can't help but hesitate; this just goes against the grain. "Uh, where did you want to meet?"

"Well, we could either do your place or mine." Again with the nonchalance.

"Well, my house is still crazy because of the move, so I guess we could do your house."

"Sounds good, here is my address, should be easy to find, its right across move the old library on the south side of town. So, should we say 4 o'clock?"

She had my head reeling, "sure."

At the end of the day, Amanda met me at my car, as has become custom.

"Hey, you want to go check out a movie or something?"

"No, I can't. Apparently Melanie wants to get started on our project and I don't really want to make any waves with her just yet."

"Okay. That's fine. I should really go home and get started on my homework too. I know I won't get it done any other way."

"What time are we getting together tomorrow to get ready?"

"Umm. I will pick you up around noon. Sound good?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow afternoon." I turned to and put my bag in my car and then started the engine. I looked back to say good-bye to Amanda to realize that I was almost standing face to face with Adam.

It was like my mind turned to puddy and my legs to Jello. I couldn't form a coherent thought, or more my now stupid muscles.

At loud noise broke the trance. I realized a minute too late that we were still standing in the middle of the school parking lot and that Amanda blown the horn to get Adam's attention.

Adam turned around, got in the car and drove away without another backward glance.

I got into my car and drove out of the parking lot, toward Melanie's house in a daze.

When I got to Melanie's, I was almost regretting saying that I would work on the project tonight. I knew that my mind would be elsewhere, plus I wasn't exactly in the mood for weird conversation.

I grabbed my Macbeth book and a pencil and paper to take some notes on, and headed toward her house.

I looked at her house closely as I walked up the front walk. She had a small one story white house with pretty blue shutters and a blue front door. I could tell instantly that whoever tended the garden had a green thumb because there were dozens of different types of flowers gently swaying in the breeze.

At first glance, I saw roses, tulips, carnations and even daisies and baby's breaths. There were also some that I didn't recognize, some flowers that I had never seen before.

I would have to ask whoever worked the garden about them, they were simply beautiful. Petals with the most exquisite colors of lavender, lilac and freesia. Although there didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the order of the flowers, it all flowed beautifully, filling me with a calm that I didn't exactly feel at this moment, but something I couldn't fight.

It honestly was kind of scary to have no control over my feelings, but I just let it go. For some reason, it also felt natural.

Before I actually got to the door, it opened scaring me. There in the doorway stood a short but beautiful woman. She had the most gorgeous auburn hair that went half way down her back in flowing cascades that surrounded the most perfect face. It was completely flawless and angular. She could and should have been a runway model.

There was the slightest hint of aging around her knowing eyes, but I would have said she couldn't be over forty.

She greeted with a smile on her face, and in her voice. "Hi, you must be Marie. Melanie told me that you would be coming over after school. It is so nice to meet you."

Even after that brief statement, I could tell that she was sincere when she said it was nice to meet me. She was a kind soul.

"It's nice to meet you as well. You have a beautiful home. Who tends the flowers?"

"Oh, I do. It's a little hobby of mine."

"It is quite a hobby. Your flowers look fantastic."

"You like flowers do you?" She looked a little surprised.

"Oh, I love flowers. I worked in a nursery in Phoenix."

"Well, that is wonderful. I think Melanie is in the family room waiting for you. I wouldn't want to keep you any longer."

She moved silently out of the doorway and showed me to the family room, then walked away without another word.

"Hi Marie." She said, without looking up at from her book.

"Hi Melanie." I sat on the chair opposite of her and waited for her to say something more. Yup, this was going to be interesting.

She looked up from her book and wasted no time with pleasantries.

"So, I was thinking we could do a slideshow presentation and discuss how the witches prophesy set in motion a future which would not have happened if they hadn't appeared at the moor. It only has to be like ten or fifteen minutes, so this should be a cakewalk." She sat back snuggly, like all the world was just as easy as the explanation she just gave.

"Honestly, that sounds pretty good. Where do you want to start?"

As she sat there thinking, I became a little fidgety, so I began to play with my necklace like I always do when I'm nervous.

It caught me off guard when I was all of a sudden sprayed with liquid. I look up to see Melanie holding a cup in her right hand, wiping her mouth with her left, with a look of complete astonishment.

"I am so sorry. There was something in my cup, and I realized it too late. Let me get you a towel to clean off with."

Melanie almost ran into another room, while I sat there uncomprehending.

Something in her cup? Who would spit something across the room if there was something in their cup? Why not just spit it back into the cup?

It was a few minutes later when she returned, holding a small blue hand towel. "I really am sorry about that. I should have turned away." She said as she sat back down across from me.

"Umm, its ok I guess."

"So, I saw your necklace. It's very pretty. Where did you get it?"

After she just spit on me, she wants to know about my necklace?

"Um, I don't remember honestly. I've had it since I was a baby."

"Oh, did your mom give it to you?"

Why was she so interested in my necklace?

"No, it was given to me before she adopted me. It was the only request that my birthmother left with the agency."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay."

She sat quietly across from me again for another minute. The longer we sat there, the stranger the room got until I couldn't take it anymore.

"So, umm, I think I should go home and change. This stuff is starting to dry. Maybe we can pick up again Monday after school?"

"Oh, yeah. Monday." She continued to sit there in her chair so I stood up and let myself out.


	6. Chapter 6

_**~Chapter 6~**_

I woke up on Saturday morning to bright light coming in from my window. Slowly, I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was already 9:45. I couldn't believe I had slept that late. Maybe it was because I kept on going over my evening at Melanie's house.

I got up out of bed and went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. I would only shower and get dressed since Amanda was going to be here in a few hours to pick me up for the dance.

Shiver.

Great, I had to make myself think about the dance. I knew this was going to be a bad idea. Maybe I should just call Amanda and tell her that I am not going to go. I could tell her I had the flu or something. She would understand.

"Hey, honey. I didn't know you were up yet." My mother calling at me through the bathroom door. Nick had been gone since Wednesday morning and mom has been bored out of her mind and has been on me like glue.

"Yeah, I just got up. About to hop in the shower, do you want in here before I do?" Not like she didn't have her own bathroom, I was just trying to be courteous.

"No. I was just passing through. I'll be down in the kitchen. Did you want anything for breakfast?"

"Um, sure. I'll be down in a little bit mom."

I heard her footsteps moving away from the door and regretted instantly the morning breakfast. I loved my mom, but since she got together with Nick, my life had been a little less hands on and I guess I had gotten used to it.

About an hour later I was sitting across from my mom eating breakfast while she sat there looking at me. I had taken as long as I could in the shower, but I knew I had to get out sooner or later.

"So, did you want to drive to Twin Peaks today and check out the mall? I hear it has a few stores worth looking into. Although, it will be nothing like the stores back in Phoenix."

"Mom, Amanda is going to be here in an hour to pick me up for the dance."

"I thought the dance didn't start 'til 7?"

"Well, it does. But she wants to get ready together and all. She has a blind date set up for me tonight and she wants to make sure everything is perfect I guess." I had to end it on a sour note so that she didn't think that I was too into the dance.

"Oh. Okay." She was so depressed right now I felt extremely bad for her. Without Nick here to keep her company all day, she might actually go insane.

"Mom, why don't you go over some more sketches for that lady you were telling me about last night? I am sure she will want a variety of dresses to look over."

"You know what, your right. I think this would be the perfect time."

Without another word she got up from the table and headed off to her room, where she set up all of her materials and objects for her business. Hopefully that would keep her busy for a few hours.

I looked at the clock to realize that it was only now eleven o'clock and I still had an hour to waste until Amanda showed up. I couldn't just sit here because that should drive me nuts thinking about the dance.

I needed to do something to keep my mind busy.

I walked outside into our backyard and looked around. This was honestly the first time I had been outside in the backyard. I just wasn't used to having one. In Phoenix it was all sand and because we lived close to downtown, we didn't have a yard at all. All of the houses were close together. There was just so much open space.

I sat down on the cement bench that apparently came with the house and watched two birds sitting in the tree near my house. I couldn't tell from this distance what kind of birds they were, although I might not have been able to tell up close, I wasn't a bird watcher by any means.

As I looked closer I saw that they were sitting in a nest and that there were babies in there with them, although from this distance I couldn't tell how many babies there were.

I sat there for a little while just watching the babies and their mothers in their natural environment in awe. I was surprised to see that they were even out this early in the year; I thought they all flew south for winters. Guess that was just a fable.

A small breeze made its way through the yard, making me grab my jacket closer to my chest. I didn't think I would ever get used to this cold weather.

The breeze shook the small branch that the nest was sitting on, causing the smallest of the babies to fall from the nest, toward the ground. I was afraid for the baby because it didn't look old enough to know how to fly and it was going to land not in the soft winter grass, but instead in a bed of rocks that surrounded the tree like a shoreline.

I knew I would never make it across the yard in time to save that baby from hitting the rocks, and most likely having an untimely death. I wished there was some way to save that baby, it felt almost unfair that he would have such a short life.

Then as I watched the baby, it was like a soft gentle wind caught the baby and slowly lowered it to the earth, unharmed. It was the most amazing thing in the world to see. It was like the wind had a mind of its own. Like the wind could read into the future and see that same bird someday soaring through its winds.

However grateful I was that the baby was saved, I couldn't believe that this had just happened. I thought for sure that the baby was doomed. I would have bet on it, which I'm not a betting person.

As I sat there contemplating the impossibilities of what had just happened, I was shocked into the present when I heard someone calling my name.

"Hello Marie. Are you with us?" It was Amanda standing at the back door of the house.

I looked up at Amanda and smiled. "I'm sorry. I guess I was in my own little world. You ready to go?"

"I would say so. Yeah, I was knocking at the door for like five minutes before your mom answered."

"Really sorry about that." I didn't realize that the whole hour had already gone by.

"Well, let's go. We have to get ready." She turned around with a smile on her face and headed back through the house.

"Yay, let's go." I whispered to myself.

I looked up as we pulled into Amanda's house, not ready for the coming day. I hated anything to do with populace places and dances definitely qualified in that category.

We walked straight up to her room so we could start working on our hair and make-up. I really hadn't realized how she could use so much time to get ready for one dance, but then when I got to her room, I realized how. She had cosmetic products of every type strewn across her now small looking vanity. There was a very large variety of every color for each type of make-up.

She walked over to her vanity and started to examine different tubes, although since I didn't wear make-up products on a regular basis, I honestly had no idea what she was looking at.

"Are you going to come into the room and get started or do I have to drag you in and chain you down?" she asked.

"No need for chains. I'm not kinky like that."

She smiled and turned back to her task while I walked into the room and put my bagged dress on her bed.

"I think this color will look perfect with your dress. It's a soft midnight blue, very subtle but will look fabulous." I really wasn't paying attention so I didn't know what make up product it was that was soft midnight blue.

I walked over to her wall and started looking through her photos. She had one of those collages where you can stick pictures in different angles and still look like it was completely arranged just for that purpose.

She had a few pictures of some of the people at school, some I even recognized. As I continued looking, I saw a picture of the entire family on what appeared to be a family vacation on a sunny beach. The family looked like a group of angels standing there in their best summer outfits.

I had never seen their parents but I could see where they both got their good looks. Amanda resembled their mother in her good looks. Her mother was gorgeous and could have been a runway model in her youth. While their father was attractive, his looks were not present in either of his kids. He was the typical stereotype of a handsome, tall and dark. He looked to be around 6 feet tall or so and had jet black hair and was very tanned.

Adam, well, he looked beyond words. He had a perfect tan going on that contradicted his hair color making his hair stand out even more. His body was one of those that you see on younger looking male models in which their chests and stomachs are flat as can be and looked toned up to a fine point.

I stood there and stood open mouthed for who knows how long until I heard Amanda in my ear for the second time today, "Like what you see…?"

I spun around in complete embarrassment, not sure what to say. Was it that plain on my face?

"I don't know what you are talking about." I said. I knew, it was a dumb and lame line, but I couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Mmhmm." Was all she said as she walked back to the vanity.

I sat down in her chair next to her vanity so I could look through the mass amounts of cosmetics.

"I think these colors will look great with my hair color and dress. What do you think Marie?"

The look I gave her must have said it all because she started laughing. "Ok, so you don't really do make-up. Would you like some help picking out a few colors for you?"

"Yeah, that would be a little helpful. I am a little overwhelmed right now."

She looked through the make-up and pulled out four more items and laid them aside, then started picking up all of the other make-up and put it back into her drawer.

"Now let's see, what to do with your hair." She stood behind me and started fiddling with my hair, pulling it up into different angles and different amounts of hair before she would drop it again and start all over.

"Hmm. I think I like this." She let my hair fall and grabbed a few things off of the vanity; bobby pins, hairbrush, comb, a hair tie and a deep black satin ribbon.

Instead of coming back around the chair she said, "Stand up please."

When I stood up, she turned the chair around so it no longer faced the vanity, rather faced the opposite wall where she had a television perched on top of her dresser and was currently watching Grease in the background.

"Ok. Please sit back down."

"Why do you want me to turn around. I've seen Grease before."

'Oh, I'm quite sure you have. I do love this movie. However, I do not want you to see what you look like until I get done with you. I want you do to be surprised and pleased."

"How ridiculous. I am completely grateful for everything you are doing for me."

We sat there talking for a while about nothing in particular until the my stomach growled. She started laughing and I felt a little embarrassed, it was so loud.

"Guess I shouldn't have played with my breakfast so much." I said meekly.

"It's fine. I am actually famished myself. How does pizza sound?"

"Actually sounds quite good. What kind are you going to order"

"I was thinking pepperoni. Does that sound ok?"

"Love it." I smiled a winning smile at her and dared to look over at the mirror when she blocked my way and let me out of the room.

"I'm not done with my masterpiece just yet. You'll have to wait." she smiled at me then walked out of the room towards the stairs.

When we walked into the kitchen, she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a soda for each of us, then grabbed the phone to call for the pizza. I walked over to the kitchen window overlooking the backyard and looked out into the winter scene. In their backyard they had a gazebo that was covered in the white snow and surrounded by medium sized white rocks that I was sure surrounded a lovely garden.

I could just imagine the scene it would create in Spring when the flowers and trees began to bloom again.

"Ok, pizza will be here thirty minutes. I figure we can do our make-up when we get done eating that way we don't mess up our faces." She made a pouting face when she said that, "what a tragedy that would be."

"So, what to do in the mean time. Oh, I know, you could tell me who it is that you set me up with." I said a bit sarcastically and hopefully.

"Ha, that's a joke. You know I'm not going to tell you, so stop asking. By the way, I heard you asked Adam who I set you up with."

"Well, I had to ask. Especially after he spilled the beans that he knew who it was."

"Again I say, nice try. Why don't we go back up to the room and finish your hair."

"Wait, you're not done yet?"

"Hardly. I have at least another hour on your hair." She obviously saw the look of terror on my face because she started laughing hysterically. "Calm down, I was just messing with you. Really though, I only need to add a few finishing touches then I'm done."

"That was so not funny." I gave her my most evil glare, which isn't very intimidating, then turned around and walked back toward her room.

She followed behind me laughing at my pathetic attempt at hostility.

I walked back into her room and sat back down in the chair, only to turn and laugh at the mirror. It was covered by a sheet so I couldn't see myself before she was done.

"I covered the mirror before going to the kitchen, I didn't want you to try to come up here and see yourself."

I rolled my eyes at her then turned back for her to finish my hair. We sat and talked for a while until we heard the doorbell ring. "Ah, that would be the pizza. I'm going to go pay for it and grab us a soda. Promise me you won't look in the mirror while I'm gone."

"I promise." I said mechanically as I held up my showing her my best "girl scout" impression of a promise.

She laughed as she walked out of the room and down the stairs.

I heard her talking to the pizza guy so I figured I had a few minutes to look around her room. It honestly was very tempting to look at the mirror, but I did promise her.

I walked back over to her pictures and started to study them again. I looked back over the pictures of all the people I recognized from school and then looked at some more family pictures on another wall. This time however, I didn't see their parents anywhere near them. Maybe they were holding the camera.

"Ok, so it's already two thirty and the guys are going to be here at 5, so we need to get moving."

"Ok, well let's hurry up and eat then. I'm starved anyway."

We ate quietly, both too hungry to worry about talking. When we were done with eating, we cleaned up and done out make-up. Well, she done mine since I still wasn't allowed to see myself in the mirror.

"Ok, your make-up is done, your hair is done, all you need to do now is go put on your dress. Let me get my hair finished then we'll put on our dresses. I can't believe it's already four thirty."

I could tell she was getting excited, she was rambling on and on. But I didn't know who she was most excited for, me or her.

She helped me into the bathroom so I could put my dress on and then went back to her room to put her dress on. I was too scared to look into the mirror just yet, even though I hadn't seen myself since we showed up.

I walked back into her room, holding up my dress just enough so that I didn't step on the front. I was a little worried that I didn't look at all good, especially since she didn't say anything when I walked into the room.

"Well ok then, I guess I look terrible."

"Seriously Marie? How could you even say that. Did you even look at yourself?"

"No, I was a little afraid to honestly."

She pulled me over to her full left mirror behind her door and stepped away. I truly did not know what to say, or what to think. I actually looked good. I wouldn't go as far as to say that I was gorgeous, but I definitely stood out.

"Wow. I guess I don't look terrible. But, I can't really see the hair." I twisted and turned trying to get a better view, but I still couldn't see it all. She handed me a hand-held mirror so that I could see myself. Putting the mirror in front of me, I turned the mirror in a few degrees in each direction to what it looked like.

My hair was pulled up into a loose bun with strands of hair hanging out at odd ends. The pieces that were pulled into the bun were braided, with the black satin ribbon braided into the bun as well. She had used the bobby pins to pull the hair in and then curled the ends into loose spirals that fell all around my hair. She had even thought to pull some strands around my face as well, so that it looked framed.

"I have to say Amanda, you do wonderful hair. You just might have a career as a professional stylist. You are an absolute artist." I stared in awe at the masterpiece she had created, thinking all the while to myself that this would have been a perfect day for Adam to see me. Oh crap, I forgot. He _was _going to be here today.

"Well, it does help when my canvas has natural beauty."

"Har, har." We got to laughing and the next thing I knew, we heard voices come from downstairs.

"Well, I guess the guys are here." She winked over at me as she walked to the door. "We'll be down in a minute." She hollered downstairs.

"Ok, you know what. I can't do this." Great, now was the perfect time to panic.

"You will be fine Marie. Just breath. Besides, I know you are going to have a wonderful time tonight, so just relax."

"I can't believe I am going to do this. I don't even know who you set me up with." I was seriously close to freaking out.

"Ok, let's make a deal. If you get downstairs and you don't like who it is that I set you up with, you can just leave without looking back and I will take care of it. Sound like a deal?"

I thought about that for a minute before I realized that was the only way I was going to make it out of this house. I couldn't form words at this point, so I just gave her a small nod.

We walked out into the hallway and she started down the stairs first.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, I heard her Brian, her date give her the most glowing commendation I had ever heard outside of television.

"Amanda, you look amazing. Seriously, you look like you just walked out of a Hollywood television set."

"Thank you Brian. That's so sweet."  
"You do look beautiful Amanda." Oh my goodness. Was that Adam?

"Marie, are you just going to stand up there the entire afternoon?" she called up to me.

"Is that an option now?" I squeaked back at her. Since when did I squeak?

"No, it's not an option, it was a figure of speech. Now get down here so we can go to dinner. I am sure the guys are starving."

"Well, I guess it's all or nothing." I whispered to myself.

I turned the corner and started down the stairs. My heart was beating so fast that I didn't know how had I made it as far as I had, which was half way down the stairs. I didn't have the nerve to look up so I decided to use the stairs as a plausible excuse and reason to keep my eyes down. But when I got to the last step, I knew it was no or never.

I looked up to see three people standing in the foyer. Amanda with Brian looking her over and Adam.


	7. Chapter 7

_**~Chapter 7~**_

All I could do was stand at the bottom of the stares, just staring. It was almost like looking into a mirror because Adam was just as frozen as I was. We were all alone in the world, just the two of us. There was no sound save for our speeding breaths.

There was a strange buzzing that brought me out of my reverie. "Well, I guess we are going to go ahead to the restaurant, you two are more than welcome to join us. Let's go Brian."

How long had she been talking?

I wasn't able to move still. Apparently neither was Adam. We both just stood there looking at each other for another few minutes until Amanda and Brian had pulled out of the driveway.

Then we unfroze.

"You look fantastic."

"I can't believe it was you all along." Why did that sound like an accusation?

I was completely incredulous. How could it be him? I thought he didn't date anyone from school?

"It really is a long story and I would be more than happy to share with you over dinner. Are you still interested in going to the dance with me?"

Honestly, I was completely thrilled that he wanted to take me to the dance. But I was still a little upset about being kept out of the loop so I came across a little more sour than I had intended to.

"You promise to explain it all to me?"

"I do promise."

"Well then, let's go."

I instantly regretted being short with him, because I knew that he was just as shy about dating as I was, but once again, I was still a little mad.

We got into his black Saturn, I knew it was a Saturn because the emblem on the front said so, and started to drive to the restaurant. I honestly had no idea where we were going since I never bothered to ask, so when we drove out of city limits, I was a little confused.

I looked over at him and he knew exactly what I was going to ask because he answered without me saying a word.

"I thought it would be better if we didn't to go a restaurant in town. It is going to be crowded and I thought that maybe you would like a little more privacy that what we would get there."

"Thank you."

We drove in silence a few minutes longer before he turned the radio on and started to listen to some music. It was so quiet that I couldn't make out more than the music.

We pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and quietly walked to the front door. I had to admit I was a little more than self conscious as we walked into a small restaurant outside of Twin Peaks.

The restaurant was not only small, but also delicate looking with the fine china and gorgeous décor. This small place looked exactly like you would expect to see of a large restaurant in a big city such as New York. A little piece of heaven in the middle of no where.

"I didn't see the name of this place. What's it called?"

He looked over at me with a mixed look of anxiety and pleasure on his face.

"This is _Monsieur Delarue_. Remember the book club that Amanda spoke of last week? The guy who owns this restaurant is also the person who ran the book club."

Before I could respond, the hostess walked over and asked "dinner for two?"

"Please." Adam responded politely.

The hostess motioned for us to follow her and showed us to a table in a small corner. There was no need to ask for a table away from a crowded area because the entire restaurant was set up so that it was intimate at every table with low lights and soft, comfortable seating.

"Your waitress will be with you momentarily." She smiled sweetly before walking away back towards the front of the restaurant.

"This is such a nice place. So quiet and relaxing."

"Christian is a very nice and accommodating person. He knows what people would really like to have and tries to give it to them."

"Hello. My name is Kandis. Can I get you a drink to start off with?"

Adam looked over at me telling me to go ahead and pick what I wanted to drink.

"I'll have a coke please."

"Two cokes. Thank you."

The waitress walked away without a backwards glance.

"Ok, so who is Christian?"

Chuckle. He almost laughed and it was possibly the most amazing sound there was. It was so sweet and honestly a little sexy.

"Christian is Monsieur Delarue. Well, the second that is. His father was a world renowned chef in Paris…" What had I asked?

"…so when his mother past away, he moved to Paris to live with his father and study under him. But Christian loved living the small town life, so he moved back home and opened this restaurant."

"So, did you bring all of your other dates here?"

"Actually, you are the first person I've had dinner with here."

"Oh…" Well, I wasn't expecting that.

"So, if I remember correctly, the deal to you coming to dinner with me was to get me to tell you the truth."

Had we already hit the point of no return towards the serious conversation?

Was I really ready to have this conversation. True, I liked him, a lot, but what if he didn't feel the same way? What if he only took me out because Amanda made him? Could I live with that truth?

He was still looking at me after a minute or so. What did I say? And if I wanted to get the honest truth out of him, would he give it? What would I ask first?

"Well, I guess you don't." Was he feeling as awkward as I was?

"I just don't know what to ask first honestly."

"Well, I guess we could start off with what you asked me at the house."

"Yeah, I think that would be a good place to start."

Before he could go into his explanation, our waitress returned.

"Have you had a chance to look over the menu?"

I flipped open the menu and scanned through it quickly, "Um, I guess just give me the sesame chicken on Caesar's salad."

"And what can I get for you sir?"

"I will have Chicken Portobello."

"Ok. Would you like a loaf of bread brought to the table as well?"

"Please."

As soon as the waitress walked away, he turned back to look at me. Of course this made me extremely self-conscious, well, more than usual.

"Well, remember last week when you came over to watch a movie with Amanda?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Well, she saw the way we looked at each other and she knew. Well, she knew before you even came over how you felt, but she saw the same in me I guess last week."

"But how did she know how I felt? I didn't even know how I felt. I still don't even know how I feel."

"Amanda is very perceptive. Always has been. Especially when it comes to me." He looked down as he said that, like he was ashamed.

"So, why me? Why not some other girl, like Stephanie.?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to this. I didn't get the impression from him like he was a challenge seeker, but who knew?

"Honestly, I think most people our age are immature, materialistic and vain. Especially Stephanie. But you, you never fit into any of those categories. I'm sure Amanda already told you that I don't like drama. Personally, I feel that you should only be with someone for the right reasons. Not just for image or the fact of saying 'I have a boyfriend or girlfriend.' I guess in that respect I am alone."

Wow, that was honestly the longest speech he had given.

"No, you are not. I am sure there are many people who feel the way you do. I know I do."

He looked up in surprise at me admission.

"So, when did you first know? I mean, how you felt?" Would he tell me the truth?

"The first day of class, when you shook my hand. In that moment, I felt like the world was gone and that you were the one thing holding me in place in a whirlwind of chaos."

He was so poetic and sweet. Why did he have to be so perfect?

"Wow, so I made quite an impression huh?" A joke? You have got to be kidding me.

"Yes, you did. And since then, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. I know, that sounds both cheesy and stalkerish, but it's the truth."

"Well, I honestly don't know what to say to that."

"You really don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Great, what do I say to that? Ok. I know you just put yourself out there, but I'm going to just sit here and let you feel stupid.

"I have a confession of my own. Actually, two. One, I am not good at expressing myself and I tend more often than not to just hide my feelings. And two, and I am putting myself out on a limb here, I feel the same way as you. I don't know what will happen or what would come of it, but I can't help how I feel."

It took a moment for what I had said to register, but then it was like his face just lit up. He looked just like a ten year old kid who realizes that he had just gotten the toy he wanted for Christmas. I wasn't sure how I felt about that comparison. Maybe he would be disappointed in the result, I wasn't much of a prize.

"Ok, I have a Caesar salad with chicken and a Chicken Portabella. Is there anything else I can get you two?"

"No, I think we are good." He replied, without looking away from my face.

"Hmm. This looks good." I unrolled my cloth napkin and started to eat.

"Thank you so much for joining me for dinner." He said in-between bites.

I had food in my mouth so I just smiled in response. Truly, I didn't know what to say.

After a few minutes of silence and eating, he looked up at me.

"You are being extremely quiet. Is something wrong?"

"No, I am fine." I looked down at my lie.

"Liar." He said with a smile playing on his lips.

Was I that much of an open book?

"Well, I just don't know what to say. I mean, every time I am around you, I can't seem to form coherent thoughts or say anything worth hearing."

"Everything you say is worth hearing."

"See, like that. You are just so sweet and thoughtful. I just feel that I don't deserve your truthfulness or anything else that you have to offer. And now I'm going to stop rambling."

"Would you like to know the truth?"

"What, that you are even more perfect than you are actually acting?"

Chuckle. "No. I am not perfect. And with any other person, I am not so easily out-spoken. Usually I don't talk much at all, at least not with that many people. But you. You just seem to take down all of my barriers and reach into my soul and pull the words out. It's like, whatever I may be thinking, you just have this power of me that makes my mouth spill the words."

After thinking about what he said for a moment, I looked inside myself. I could feel the pull myself. The need to say exactly what I was thinking and feeling, just to make him happy. It was a very frightening discovery, but so natural in its response.

I sat there for a moment just feeling the pull, finding that the pull had been there since I had first laid eyes on Adam two weeks ago. But it went deeper than that. I was like it was there all along, only to be awoken by the person the pull was meant for. It made me excited.

"Wow."

"Exactly." He beamed.

"Funny thing, I didn't even pay attention to that until you said something."

"I've felt it since we first saw each other. Maybe the reason I'm better at expressing myself is that first, I've had a chance to accept what this is, and two, I am more at peace with what it is and accepting of the fact that it only happens with you."

We sat there for a few moments more, saying nothing but looking into what seemed to be each other's sole.

We both jumped a little when the waitress came back and asked if we were ready for the check or if we needed anything else.

"No, I think we are ready to go."

He reached into his back pocket and took the money out and handed it to her. I looked up at the clock on the wall only to realize what time it was.  
"Oh, wow. The dance started half an hour ago."

"I guess time flies when you are having fun." Such an old and kind of corny statement, but it seemed so fitting for the situation.

"Well, then shall we go?" He got up from the table and came around to help me up.

Again, when our hands touched, it was almost like Heaven had come to Earth and rested in his hand.

We walked out of the restaurant with me holding his arm, just like they did in the earlier part of the century.

The drive to the dance was relatively quiet. I was thinking inwardly, going over our conversation at dinner and thinking how completely my life had changed in just a few hours. I really didn't seem like it was that pivotal of a moment in my life. But it went beyond a boyfriend, if that's what he was. It was like I had found my soul mate.

Just this revelation would have been enough to have my head spinning as it was. But it was even more than that. It wasn't just that I had found my soul mate, it was that he actually wanted me the way I wanted him.

We were just about to pull into the school when he broke out laughing. Since we had been quiet for the last twenty minutes or so, I couldn't fathom what he thought was so funny.

I waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn't I felt the need to ask. "Would you mind sharing the joke with me?"  
He looked over at me and just pointed into the dark. It took me a moment to see what it was as we passed, he must have seen what he was pointing at as we pulled in and the light hit. It was Stephanie getting out of her car with a sour expression which had turned furious as she took in his car, with me in the passenger seat.

"I can't believe I had forgotten completely about her. She is going to freak out on me, then kill me." I wasn't really scared of her, but she was pretty scary.

"You will be fine. I'll just have Amanda run interference. Although, she may figure it out that Amanda was the one who set us up, so she may just direct her fury at Amanda."

"You shouldn't say that like it's a good thing."

"I told her that if she kept it a secret from her that Stephanie would be a little more than mad. But she thought it would be funny just to get her goat. They have a very weird "friendship". Amanda only became friends with her to see which one was more spiteful. I would really hate to be on the receiving end of either one of them, but mostly Amanda."

"That's only because you live with her."

"Quite possibly so."

We got out of the car and walked slowly toward the gymnasium.

Slowly because my feet wouldn't let me walk any faster than that. I was completely petrified. Not of Stephanie. But of the rest of the class.

I have never been good as the center of attention but here I am, walking into the school with the most adorned guy in the world.

As we walked through the double doors I visualized the students turning around to look and gawk at us as we walked to the table like they did in the movies. I saw people pointing and laughing, whispering like we weren't even standing there. I was about to turn around when I processed what they were saying.

"Wow! Look at Amanda. She looked wonderful."

"She is so hot. Is that Mark Pfeiffer who graduated last year?"

"I think it is. He is so lucky."

"Can you possibly not stare at her like she is a piece of meat."

I didn't see any of the people who made these comments because I do saw what they were looking at.

I had turned to go back out the door and saw Amanda standing there, looking like a Greek Goddess in her shimmering blue dress with her flowing blonde tendrils.

She saw me looking at her and winked at me as she passed us with her date. She had planned her entrance perfectly so that she could take the attention away from Adam and me.

Adam casually directed me to a table on the outside of the ring of covered tables to take our seats.

We had barely sat down when Melissa came over pulling Chase behind her. She sat down next to me with a million questions in her eyes, bouncing between Adam and me.

"Um, how would you like something to drink Marie?" Adam asked. I could see he was going to be polite enough to give us a few minutes.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"I'll go with you." Chase said as he stood up.

As soon as they disappeared out of sight, Melissa bombarded me with her burning questions.

"I can't believe you came to the dance with Adam. Stephanie is absolutely reeling in the ladies room right now. She is so livid."

"I honestly didn't know until he showed up at the door. Amanda refused to tell me who my date was." I admitted.

"Well, you are absolutely lucky. He truly is gorgeous."

"I thought you liked Chase?" I asked. Did I really sound a little bit jealous?

"Oh, I do. But a girl can dream can't she." She said dreamily.

"So, how did dinner go? Do you like him? Does he like you?"

"Umm…" I didn't know what to say or how to answer.

"Ok, so they had fruit punch and tropical punch. I got one of each. Which one would you like?" Adam asked as he sat back down to me.

I gave Melissa what I hoped looked like an apologetic smile and turned to look back at Adam.

"I'll have the fruit punch."

"Here you go." He said as he handed me the white and blue paper cup.

"Ok, well I guess we are going to go dance. We'll see you two later." Melissa hinted.

Great, just what I needed. This night was going to wear me out.

I turned back to Adam to see him staring at me.

"What?"

"Nothing, just looking."

"Do I have something in my teeth?" I asked self-consciously.

"No, just looking at an angel." He was so sweet.

All I could do was smile because my heart was in my throat.

A slow song started just then, prompting him to ask, "Would you like to dance?"

"I am not a very good dancer." I stated plainly.

"It's ok. I am. Besides, all you need it the right partner."

He took my hand and gently pulled me from my chair and onto the floor. At first I was a little skeptical because I really couldn't dance and I doubted any skill on his part would make that much of a difference.

But after being on the floor for half a song I started to see what he meant. We were dancing, and it actually looked decent. We didn't swirl around like they did in the movies, but we created our own little dance of small movements. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was enough for me.

We danced through a few more songs before we heard a commotion coming from the back of the gymnasium. A few raised voices and a group of people huddled in the corner drew our attention and our curiosity.

As we walked to the back, I saw Melissa standing there with Chase, watching the scene unfold.

"I can't believe you did this to me." I heard a voice say.

"Oh please, don't be so melodramatic." Was that Amanda?

I ebbed closer to the front of the group with Adam right behind me, to see Amanda standing there with Stephanie, who was fuming mad.

"You betrayed me. I told you how I felt about him and still you went behind my back and set him up with someone else? And a new girl on top of that?" she practically screamed.

"Stephanie, the only reason you like him is because he is the only person you have ever known who doesn't fall at your feet. Get over it. He doesn't want you."

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

Amanda rolled her eyes as Stephanie finally looked around the circle of people who came to watch the fight. As she spotted me standing with Adam, she came charging in our direction.

"And you, I knew you would be trouble from the first moment I saw you. You are nothing and you don't deserve him. I promise to make your life a living hell for this." she yelled into my face.

She looked over at Adam with fury on her face, then whirled around and walked towards the front door.

I turned around to face Adam to see his own reaction. He was standing there with indifference on his face.

"Should I be worried?" I asked.

"No, you shouldn't." I heard from behind me.

I turned around to look at Amanda, who at that moment at a smile on her face.

"You really shouldn't enjoy getting her goat like that Amanda." Adam chided her from behind me.

"Oh, I don't. But this was something that she needed to get through her thick skull. Or did you want her chasing you for the rest of your life?" she countered.

"Well, no. But…"

"But nothing. Even after I told her on Friday that you weren't interested in her, she was still deluded enough to think that should would stop by the house after we left to pick you up. Trust me when I say this, she will never give up unless the proof is shoved right into her face."

"Ok. But I hope you know what you are doing. She looked pretty pissed."

"Really Amanda, should I be worried?" I said again.

"No, she will probably hate you forever and most likely spread rumors about you, but what does it matter?"

_Great_! Now I have an enemy. Just what I needed.

"Well, I need to go find my date. I'll see you two later." And before I could get another word in, she was off in the direction of the refreshments table, where her date was waiting on her.

I turned back to Adam to see him looking at me again.

"Are you ok?" He asked me.

"Sure. If you mean having a senior hell bent on making my life hell ok."

"Well, as long as you are fine." He joked back.

We both laughed for a minute before he asked me, "Are you ready to go back to the dance floor, or would you rather go outside for a few minutes and cool off?"

I looked around to see people still standing there looking at us and whispering.

"Let's go outside."

Without another word he took my hand and led me out the back door of the gym.

As we exited the door, I felt a swift breeze of cool air blow past us into the warm gym.

We walked in silence for a few minutes until we reached a picnic table in the courtyard. We sat down together on the cold cement bench, still without talking.

I felt a shiver go up my back, which of course caught his notice.

"It's cold out here, maybe we should go back inside. You don't have a jacket on."

"No, I'm fine. I'm not ready to go back in yet." I replied hastily.

"You sure?" he questioned.

"Of course." I replied as another shiver went through my body.

He stood up and took his suit jacket off and draped it around my shoulders.

"Thank you." I said as he sat back down.

"Starting to feel better?" He asked with genuine concern.

"Almost…" I said. He started to sit forward again to make me more comfortable until he saw me lean over toward him. He caught my drift and put his arm around me.

We sat there for a while more without saying anything, just happy to be with each other.

"So, have you had fun tonight? Overall I mean." He asked me as he rubbed my arm.

"Yes, I have. A lot more fun than I thought I would have had. Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"To be honest, you are the only reason I had fun tonight. I don't think I would have had fun with anyone else but you." I admitted.

"I would not have come for anyone else but you. When Amanda first brought this to me, I told her no because I didn't want to really accept what I felt. It honestly scared me. But after she wouldn't let up, and trust me she brought it up all the time, you were all I could think about. And then I knew that there was no way I could sit at home while you came to the dance. Because I have no doubt that she would have found someone else to go with you. If only to push me and make me jealous."

"Seriously? You would have been jealous?"

"Of course I would have. After I let me true feelings for you come through, it was impossible to imagine you with anyone else."

"Feelings?"

"Yeah, just these feelings I've had since we met. But I was scared of them. One, I didn't know what they were. It was just a strange desire to be with you. And second, it was the strength of that desire. It was like an elusive pull toward you. I couldn't help it. It was strange that I'd only known you for a few days and I felt that strongly. But I didn't know what it was, so I suppressed it, until Amanda made me face it." I felt him shrug.

"Well, at the risk of sounding corny, I am glad she made you face your feelings."  
"Me too. You ready to go back in?" He asked. I guessed he was getting cold as well.

"Honestly, I am just ready to go."

"Oh. You want to go home." It wasn't a question.

"No, I just don't want to stay here anymore."

"We can go for a drive if you want."

"That sounds good." I said.

We got up and started for the parking lot.

"Maybe I should tell Amanda that we are leaving. Just so she doesn't get worried." I told him.

"We can do that."

We walked back into the gymnasium and found Amanda easily enough. There she was with her date on the dance floor, making everyone else look completely ridiculous while she danced like a professional.

She looked over at us as we walked into the gym with a knowing look. But instead of her walking over to us, she just waved her hand quickly and looked back toward her date.

"Well, that was quite a good-bye." Adam said as we walked away.

"Eh, she is just trying to enjoy herself."

"Yeah, that's it." he laughed.

We walked to his car, talking about nothing in particular. As we drove out of the parking lot, I looked down at the clock.

"Wow, it's already 11." I said.

"I guess time flies when you are having fun."

"True, it does." I said truthfully.

"Maybe I should just take you home instead of going for a drive. I honestly hadn't realized how late it was."

As much as I hated for the night to end, I was exhausted from my early start and I knew my mother would be up waiting for me.

"Yeah, my mom will be wondering where I had gone off to. Don't want her to think I had run away."

Honestly though, until I looked at the time, the world seemed to stop existing outside of Adam. I hadn't thought about my mom anyone else for that matter since earlier tonight. How long had we sat on the bench outside the school?

We pulled into my driveway and he turned the lights off.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight. I really did have a lot of fun." He said.

"Thank you for the invite." Not ready for the date to be over and go inside, I lingered in the car.

"Umm, would you mind doing something with me tomorrow?" He asked timidly.

"I would love to. If you want, you can give me a call tomorrow afternoon and we can hang out or something."

"Yeah, I have a place I want to take you."

"Sounds like a plan." I said.

He leaned over to give me a hug which I received generously. I turned my head slightly toward his as he hugged me, to be met with his lips, since he had turned to give me a kiss on the cheek.

The kiss was like nothing I could have prepared myself for. It wasn't aggressive like those kisses you see in Hollywood. Not at all. It was the most perfect thing in the world. Like his lips were meant for mine, a perfect fit.

His lips were soft and warm, giving and taking. My lips moved in complete unison with his, like they were destined to have met. Two halves of a whole, ripped away from each other too soon, only to be put back together in a moment of pure ecstasy.

It ended all too quickly with both of us out of breath. Not from exertion of the kiss, but the power of it.

"Uh…" That was all my mind could come up with after that. How pathetic.

"Can I be honest with you?" he asked.

"Always." I said breathlessly.

"That was amazing."

He took the words right out of my mouth. But before I could say anything, I saw the front porch light come on and my mom was opening the front door.

"I better go in." I said lamely.

"Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow."  
I got out of the car and waved good-bye as he pulled out of the driveway and then drove down the road.

I walked absently to the house and in the front door.

"How was the dance honey?" she asked as she shut the front door.

"It was really good mom. I am really tired. Can we talk in the morning?"

There was no way I was going to be able to give my mom a play by play right now when I was completely befuddled.

"You ok honey?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah mom. I'm fine. I'm just really tired. Had an early start this morning to a long day. I'm just ready for bed."

"Ok sweetie. Go on up to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. I walked up the stairs but I didn't feel the steps. I didn't even process what I was doing, but my body moved of it's own accord. Once I got into my room I fell back on my bed, completely dressed and thought back about what had just happened.

"I can't believe we kissed. It was absolutely perfect and all I could come up with was 'uh'? What's wrong with me?"

I laid there for a for a little while longer thinking of everything that had happened today. It was the perfect day. Nothing had gone wrong and now I had the most perfect person who cared for me.

Life was perfect.


	8. Chapter 8

_**~Chapter 8~**_

The next thing I knew there was a bright light in my room that was out of the ordinary. I didn't remember leaving my light on when I went to bed. I sat up in bed and was getting ready to turn my light off when I looked around.

My light was off and it was around three and I had been asleep for what felt like five minutes, but my room was bright as day. I let my eyes adjust to the brightness and saw that the bright light was a near my window.

In the light was the beautiful woman from my dream. I started to think that I was dreaming again, but my dreams had never been so vivid before. I was about to start talking when she spoke.

Her voice was so beautiful, I could hardly think of anything to give some kind of comparison.

_My daughter, you are lovelier than I could have even hoped for. You have your grandmother in you. I am sure she will be proud of that. She has a very strong head and a good heart, as do you. _

At this point I was in complete shock. My mouth was hanging open into an incredulous look. What do you say to the ghost of your mother? And I knew it was her. I looked nothing like her, yet I was her in so many ways. I felt a pull to her, not physical but more than that. The connection between us was sole deep.

_I am sure you are wondering why I am here. Let me make this short. It is time to fulfill your destiny. You were born into a family of powerful women and soon you will learn to understand that power. But for now, there is one thing I must do. Do you still have that amulet?_

I looked at her like she had gone nuts. "What amulet? Isn't that something out of a fairy tale?" I asked her.

_Oh, of course. You wouldn't know what it was. The necklace that you wear, the one with the rose, do you still have it?_

"Yes, it's right here." I pulled the necklace out from under my sleep shirt. I broke the original necklace that it was on and mom had gotten me one for my eighth birthday to replace it. It was longer than the first, since I had gotten older.

_It was my grandmother's, your great-grandmother, Vera. She gave it to me when I turned 17, as a gift for becoming an adult. We became adults at the age of 17 in our community. You would have had a big celebration this coming September, when you turned 17 and I would have handed it down to you._

She had a look of longing on her face that made me want to go to her and comfort her.

_ Anyway, the reason I came here today is to undo something that I done when you were a baby. I couldn't have anyone find out about you before you were ready to take care of yourself. Until I was sure that you were able to defend yourself. I think that that time has passed. I should have done this a few years ago, so you would be ready and could learn how to use your power._

_ I guess I was unprepared a few weeks ago when you met Melanie. This was the first time and I should have known it would get weaker when you neared your 17__th__ birthday, and now that you are around another. _

"I am sorry to interrupt you, but what are you talking about?" She had lost me back when she started talking about the necklace.

_This necklace is more than just a necklace. As you heard me say, it is an amulet. As well as our family crest. That in itself makes it powerful. But I also put a charm on it, to protect you when you were a baby. I didn't know when the power would come about since you are the first of the last. This amulet blocked you from your power. You were unable to use it in any way. But the closer you come to your 17__th__ birthday and to becoming an adult, the more powerful you get. I knew that would happen. But then you saw Melanie-_

"Why do you keep on saying power? What kind of power?"

_Adriana, that is your birth name, you are a witch. The daughter of the most powerful line of witches to ever exist and the direct descendants of the first witch, Cera. My name is Charisma and my mother's is Camara. We are all named after roses, our family crest. You are a telepath and can move things with your mind._

_ Melanie is another witch, of a lesser family. Her lineage is more diluted, so their magic is very small. Our family has been blessed many times over by our mother Cera. _

_ When you saw Melanie, even though she is a lesser witch, her magic combined with your growing magic, over powered my charm. You will slowly start to see things and be able to do things that before you would have thought impossible._

With every word she spoke, my heart beat faster. A witch! Who would have thought? I must still be dreaming. Those kinds of things are just fantasy. Not real.

_I must go, but before I do I must undo what has been done. _Amera sonovea si contela andios. _Blessed be my darling._

Before I could respond, she was gone. She just shimmered away until my room was dark again. Nothing in my room gave way to her having been there.

I crawled back in bed, still thinking of it as just a dream. If I went back to sleep and then woke up, it would all go away.

The next thing I knew it was eleven in the morning and the phone was ringing. I waited for a few more seconds to see if mom would answer the phone. When the phone stopped ringing, I rolled over looked up at my ceiling. The dream I had last night came back like a flash and I tried to dissect it.

I refused to think that it was anything else. Why were my dreams becoming so weird all of a sudden? And why would I dream about that girl?

I got up out of bed and I heard something clink. I looked down to see my necklace hanging out of my shirt, even though I put it underneath last night before I went to bed, like I do every night.

Maybe it had slipped out last night. But part of me knew that wasn't true.

I tried not to think about the necklace or the dream so I decided to take a shower. I was still tired from last night but I knew I had to get up because Adam should be calling me any time now.

I walked to the bathroom and ran into my mom in the hallway.

"Oh, honey. I was just about to come get you up. Nick just called and said he is on his way home, will be here in a few hours in fact. We are going to dinner together. Did you want to join us?"

"No, I think I'll just stay home. I'm sure you missed him these last two weeks."

"Of course I did. But are you sure you want to stay home alone?"

"Actually, I kind of had plans this afternoon so go ahead, it's fine." I reassured her.

"Oh, by the way, you looked stunning last night. How did the dance go?"

"It was a lot of fun. We had dinner, danced, saw friends. It was really fun."

"Who did you go with? Was he cute?"

"Mom." I groaned. I loved my mother to death, but it was kind of embarrassing having to explain this to her. How did you tell your mother that you had met your soul mate?

"Oh come on honey. Just a little bit of info?"

I knew she would never let this go.

"His name was Adam and was he's cute. More like gorgeous. He has the most perfect face and hair. And he is such a sweet and nice guy."

Snap out of it Marie. You don't need to tell her everything about it.

"Ooh, When do I get to meet him?"

"Um, I don't know honestly. I'll ask him."

She started to say something else when the phone rang again. She walked into her room and picked up the phone. While I had a free moment, I stepped into the bathroom to get ready to take a shower knowing it would be the only chance to get away next decade.

"Marie." She called from the other side of the bathroom door. And here I thought I had gotten away.

"Yes mom." I called back.

"Adam is on the phone for you."

My brain froze while my stomach did somersaults.

"Um, tell him to give me just one second. I'll be right there." I tried not to sound too panicked, but I don't think it worked.

I put my clothes back on quickly, well, rather I tried to put them back on quickly. It didn't work out that way and it felt like it took much longer to them back on.

I walked out of the bathroom to see mom standing in her doorway with a knowing look on her face. "I'll take the call in my room." I said plainly.

As soon as I got to my door, I sprinted to my phone and picked up the receiver.

"I got it mom." I called to her. I waited for her to hang up her end of the line before I spoke to him.

"Hey, Adam. What's going on?" I tried to sound casual.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see if you still wanted to hang out today." I said, sounding a bit self-conscious.

"Yes." I answered all too quickly and immediately regretted my hastiness as he chuckled on the other side.

However, it did seem to help him ease up a little bit because he sounded much more confidant when he spoke again.

"I'll pick you up in an hour?" He asked.

"Sure, I'll see you then." I almost squeaked.

"Ok, bye."

"Bye." I said a bit too late.

I put the phone back in the receiver and done my happy dance in a full circle until my circle made its way toward my doorway where my mother was standing there laughing.

"It's ok to be excited you know. He sounded like such a nice boy."

"Mom." I groaned again.

"Go get in the shower love."

I almost ran past her in my hurry to get to the bathroom. Even though she was my mom, I don't think I had been so embarrassed in my life.

I heard her laughing softly as I got in the shower.

I let the hot water hit me for a few moments before I continued with my shower. I didn't want to take too long and make him wait.

I started to move quickly causing the shampoo bottle to fall from the top of the shower caddy. I reached over to catch the bottle with my hand but I wasn't fast enough because it slipped right through my hands and hit the bottom of the tub, barely missing my foot.

Seriously, that was a brand new bottle and that would have hurt so badly. Could have broken a toe. Stupid bottle.

After my shower I went into my room to pick what I was going to wear today. Seriously, I had no idea. What did he have planned? I really wasn't an outdoor type of person, but with him, I just might do anything.

While looking through my closet, I tripped over a pair of shoes, knocked myself into my vanity, and then falling over my chair. Why was I such a klutz?

When I finally stopped moving, I looked over to see my mother's glass vase given to her by her mother teetering on the edge of my vanity. Before I could untangle myself from the chair legs, the vase fell to the floor. Just before it hit the floor, it stopped in mid-air.

What the heck? Why did it just stop? I thought about the vase coming over to me and before I could react, it started moving toward me, like it was being pushed by an invisible hand. It stopped right in front of me and just floated. It wasn't bobbing like it was sitting on something. No. It just stood there, motionless in midair.

I grabbed the vase, before it could fall out of the air. As soon as my hand grabbed it, it was like the invisible pull vanished, leaving just the vase in my hand. What was that?

Before I consciously thought about it, my thoughts went to my dream. Well, what I had dismissed as a dream anyway. Was that real? I mean, if what I just done was magic, I mean what else could it be, did that mean I was a witch. It would also mean that my _dream_ wasn't actually a dream. My real mother had actually come to me as a spirit or a ghost, was there a difference?, and I hadn't even given her more than a dream?

"Well, if that really just happened. I should be able to do it again. Right?" I told myself. I stood up and braced myself. But how did it work?

Did I just think of something to come to me and it would? Hmm. I stood looking around my room for something to try with. I didn't want to try with my mother's vase, especially if it was real and I ended up smashing it.

I know, my brush. As soon as I thought about my brush, it floated over to me. I didn't even have to give it a conscious thought, or did I?

I sat there practicing moving things across my room for a while. Seriously, how cool was this. I wonder what else I could do. Could I cast spells as well?

I wonder if mom would let me use…mom. What was I going to tell her? I've seen enough of Hollywood to see how people react to things supernatural. I know mom wouldn't sell me out, but would she look at me differently? As a matter of fact, could I tell anyone?

I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that I had spent so much time playing around with this newfound ability that I hadn't even finished getting dressed. Adam would be here any minute.

As I finished dressing I started to think about Adam. What would be think of me being a witch. Would he run away screaming or would be point a finger at me like they did in old Salem. I don't know Adam as well as I do my mom obviously, but for some reason I couldn't see him ratting me out. Maybe I should just tell him and see where it goes.

I mean, I can't keep a secret like this forever, how far would that get me?

"Why did this have to happen to me? What did I ever to? All I wanted was to be a normal girl, going out on a normal date with a normal guy. Would my life ever be normal again?

Downstairs I heard the doorbell ring. Great, Adam is here and here I am not only freaking out because I realized my dream wasn't a dream and I am a witch, but also because the cutest guy in the world is here to see me and I am a freak of nature. Perfect. Just perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

_**~Chapter 9~**_

I ran down the stairs and rushed to the door, just before mom opened it herself.

"I got it mom." I said with my back to the door. I hoped she would take the hint.

"OK. But I want to meet him, so before you go, come see me I the living room." she said, trying to sound stern.

"OK mom. I'll make sure we do that." with fake enthusiasm.

She turned and walked away back toward the living room. As soon as she rounded the corner, taking a deep breathe I opened the door to see Adam standing there with a smile on his face.

"Hi." he said perfectly.

"Hi." I said weakly.

As I stood there longer, he gestured toward the door, "Can I come in?"

"Oh, of course. Come on in." I said embarrassed. I opened the door further and stood back for him to walk into the front room.

He walked past me into the hallway and looked at some of the pictures hanging on the walls. They were mostly of me when I was younger, with a few family photos mixed in.

I saw him smile a little at the one of me holding an ice cream cone, most of it on my face.

"So, are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Sure. But you might want to grab your coat; it is a little chilly out."

"Oh, right." I walked over to the closet and grabbed my coat. I was putting it on when I remembered that mom wanted to meet him.

"Umm, there's just one thing before we go." I said meekly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, my mom wants to meet you before we head out. Is that ok?"

"Sounds good." Was all he said.

I walked him into the living room where my mom was watching a Lifetime movie, crying all the while with a tissue in her hand and the box on the couch.

"Mom, this is Adam. Adam, this is my mom. Ok, let's go." I turned to walk away knowing that I wouldn't get away with that little introduction, but trying nonetheless.

"Not so fast Marie. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Because I don't want you to embarrass me with some potty in my pants or butt naked walking around from when I was a baby. "No reason."

"Well, Adam would you like something to drink or a snack before you two head out to…" Great, if he got a drink or a snack we would never get to leave and end up having dinner with mom and Nick.

"No thank you on the drink and the snack. I ate breakfast not too long ago and I am still a little full. But I thought we could head out to Devil's Peak and then maybe dinner. If that isn't too late."

"What is Devil's Peak?"

"It isn't what it sounds. It is just the peak of the mountain that overlooks the city. Nothing too hazardous. A lot of people go up there and park. They built a guard rail around the edges so people didn't accidently fall down. Completely safe."

"Ok. Well, be back by 9 please. It is a school night after all." She said resigned.

"Will do."

"Yes, let's go. Bye mom." I turned and walked toward the front door and heard her call behind me as I opened the front door. "Love you Marie."

"Love you too mom." I shut the door.

"I am sorry about my mom. She can be a bit overbearing at times." I said as we walked off the porch.

I looked up, expecting to see his black Sedan but was surprised when it wasn't there.

I was a little excited to see this car. It was a lot better looking than mine by far. He had a little red sports car. Of course I didn't really know what kind of car it was since I wasn't into cars much. But I could tell you that it was a nice looking sports car.

"Where is the other car? The little black one?"

"Oh, I left it at home." What?

"So let me get this straight, you have two cars?" How did he have two cars and I only had one. One crappy one.

"Well, my parents don't spend a lot of time with us. So I think they figured if they buy us expensive stuff, it accounts for them being absent all the time."

"Does it work?"

"Not really." He said matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't mind having two nice cars." I said under my breath.

"Well, I would trade both of my cars for your mom. It must be nice having someone who looks out for you."

I looked out the window a little ashamed as we left the city limits. It wasn't long after that we turned onto a road that said _Devil's Peak_.

"Are you sure it's safe up here? I mean, can't we go do something else?" I am sure he could hear the anxiety in my voice.

"Do you trust me?" He asked sincerely.

Even though I have only known him a short while, I knew in my heart that I couldn't deny him a thing. I trusted him completely, just as I am sure he trusted me.

"Yes." Was all I had to say.

"I promise you will enjoy it. And it is completely safe. I wouldn't take you anywhere that wasn't safe." I believed him.

As we made the last turn up to start up the mountain, I felt my heart jump into my throat. I can't believe I am doing this. This mountain is way too steep for any vehicle to go over.

The road wasn't paved, but it had been traveled so many times that it was a well-worn path with a small area in the middle where grass would grow come spring.

He didn't look over at me as we made our way up the mountain thankfully. I might have had a heart attack.

After what seemed like an eternity, we leveled out into a small parking lot that again, wasn't paved.

We made our way to the end of the lot and he parked. It took me a bit of nerve to really look out the front window since we were sitting just feet from the edge of the cliff. But when I did, I was completely amazed.

"Would you like to get out of the car?" he asked me as he studied my face.

I couldn't say anything, so I just shook my head.

I started toward the guard railing at the very end of the lot and he walked beside me. I knew it was cold out, but I wasn't really feeling it at the moment. It was also a little foggy and it felt like I was walking through a cloud.

I stood at the railing and just stared. I was staring out over miles of unbroken and untouched land.

I saw the next mountain range that almost surrounded the small city of Twin Peaks. It was only purple in the distance but it was a city to see. The top of the mountain was covered in white from the last snow and the very tip of the tall mountain was surrounded by a veil of fog that hid the true height of the mountain.

It was without a doubt the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

"It's so pretty. I can see why people would come up here." I said.

"Eh, it's ok."

What?

"How can you say that? This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It's so pure."

I looked at him to see what he saw, and found him looking back at me.

"I am looking at the most beautiful thing in the world right now. And that view is nothing like what I am seeing."

How do you respond to something like that?

"Well, my view isn't so bad either."

Although we were standing next to each other, it seemed like it took forever for him to lean in and give me a kiss. But as soon as his lips met mine, it was like heaven on Earth. I knew my place in this world was wherever he was.

It took me a minute to get my bearings when the kiss was over, and I couldn't quite make myself let go of him.

So there we stood, on the precipice of the world, with each other in our arms for our only comfort. With him next to me, I could go anywhere and do anything.

I felt invincible.

A little while later, we were on our way to a small local restaurant. I didn't want to leave, but it technically was still winter and even though I was standing next to Adam, it was still too cold to remain there for long. I would have to remember to come back when it was warmer.

We pulled into the only restaurant in town, Bob and Lisa's Diner and got out. I was so hungry since it was already about seven. I would have to get home soon to finish my homework. I was so not looking forward to leaving him, but I knew if my grades slipped, even just a little, that I would pretty much be banned from seeing Adam until my grades went back up.

We sat down and quickly gave the waitress our order, just a couple of hamburgers with French fries. Even though this was the fanciest restaurant in town, they didn't have French cuisine.

"So, tell me about your parents." I asked. "I still haven't met them."

"Well, honestly there isn't much to tell. You know that my mother is a professor. She teaches at the university in the city, not a big school, but it pays well. She used to teach for Stanford a long time ago, but for some reason they decided to move out here and settle into a small town. It was right after we were born."

"Wow, from a big time professor to a small town. That had to be quite a difference. I wonder what make them change their minds."

"Well, Amanda and I have wondered the same thing for a long time. After we found one of mom's old certificates in the attic we came caught up on it and harassed mom and dad about it until they were blue in the face." He chuckled a little.

"So what about your dad? What does he do?"

"Dad used to be a defense attorney for the state, but when we moved out here he quit and became a lawyer. He has his own practice in the city. Which is one reason we don't see them much. They like the small town life, but love the big city pay."

"I can't believe they gave up so much."

"Ok, I have a cheeseburger with mayo, ketchup and tomatoes with fries."

"Oh, that's mine." I said.

"And a cheeseburger with everything on it with fries."

"And that would be me." He said.

"Is there anything else I can get you two?"  
"No, I think we are good." He was such a gentleman.

"We ate in silence for a few minutes while I thought about his parents. What could make two people give up everything just to move to a small town? Obviously it's a secret since they won't even tell their own kids. But what could it be?

"So what is your favorite color?" He asked me.

"Um, I guess it would be blue. And not one of those dark navy blues or a sky blue, but a true blue. I think that is one of the prettiest blues. What about you?

"Red, definitely red."

We sat and talked for a few more minutes while we finished our food, then we paid the bill and left. It was already after eight.

We drove slowly through the quiet streets, wanting just a few more minutes of uninterrupted time. Although we didn't really talk, it was a comfortable silence filled with nothing but happiness of being in the other's company.

We pulled into my house and he stopped the car. I would have asked him in, but mom would be waiting at the door already, wondering how the date went.

"Thank you. I had a great time."

"Trust me, the pleasure was all mine." He said sweetly.

We sat there looking at each other for a few seconds. The longer we sat the more tense the atmosphere became until I could hear the beating of drums in my ears. I would later realize that it was actually my heartbeat picking up tempo.

He leaned into the middle of the car as an open offer in case I had changed my mind, but one I would gladly take. Just like before on the cliff, it felt like it took centuries for his lips to meet mine, although it truly was only seconds.

The kiss was so sweet and full of passion and before I knew it, it became more than just a kiss. I brought my hands up to his face and pulled him closer and that was all the invitation he needed. The next thing I knew he had pulled him closer to him and was holding me so close. It never felt like it was close enough and I thought the only way for me to get closer was to just melt into his body and we become one.

He slowly felt his way around him back and down my hips, giving me plenty of opportunity to pull away, but I wouldn't do that. My own response was a surprise in itself as I wound my fingers into his perfectly colored golden hair. I felt him groan more than I heard. I could feel the vibrations of it in my face, hands and all the way down to my toes. The effect that single sound had on my body was too much.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any hotter between us, the front light flipped on signaling that mom had noticed I was sitting in the driveway. Good thing she couldn't see the windshield from the house.

We pulled apart slowly, his breathing matching the speed of my own.

"Marie, I don't know what came over me." It almost seemed like he was apologizing.

"Probably the same thing as me." I said as I blushed. "I should probably get inside before she comes out to get me."

"Yeah" was all he could say right now. Apparently he was just as frazzled as I was.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school. Good night Adam." I opened the door and got out, making sure I looked presentable before I stepped into the light where my mom could see me.

Before I shut the door, I heard him mumble "night," although it wasn't very loud.

I walked slowly to the front door and watched him drive away in a daze. He still hadn't looked over at me. Was he just confused as I was?

I climbed the small set of steps to the porch and before I got to the door it was opened and there was standing Nick.

"Good evening Cinderella." He joked as I stumbled past him. They knew me well enough to assume I was just being clumsy, not that I was completed in a daze.

_ "Hi Nick. How was your trip?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant._

_ "Oh, it was ok. Not nearly as good as your date though I would say." OMG, he had seen us?_

_ Before I could blush crimson, he reassured me by saying "I didn't see anything, but I know how dates go. Your mom doesn't know you are home just yet, she has been on the phone with a customer for the last hour about a dress she is going to be making." _

_ "Thank you, Nick." I sighed with relief._

_ "Now, don't thank me just yet Marie. I want you to promise me that you will not go too quickly with him. I know I'm not your father, but I love you like you were my own." He always felt the need to assure me that he wasn't trying to take place of a missing father figure. Only thing was, he was a good dad and a good husband. I thought of him as more of a best friend than a father figure._

_ "I promise Nick. I wouldn't risk giving mom a heart attack before she turned 40." We both laughed at mom's overdramatic tendencies and walked into the living room. _

_ We sat and talked for a few minutes before I remembered that I had homework to do so he let me go._

_ It was a while after I got my books out on my bed before I could actually sit down and think of anything besides Adam. Every time I thought back on that brief span of time in the car, my face felt like it was on fire._

_ I shouldn't be embarrassed that we kissed, which I wasn't 't. it was more along the lines of feeling like a kid who had just found out that the frog turns into the prince and they live happily ever after. Maybe he was my frog._


End file.
